Unforeseen Consequences
by Autumn Artist
Summary: When Dirk finds himself in deep debt to Jack Noir, his younger brother Dave finds a way to take the debt off of his hands. But in doing so, he faces...unforeseen consequences. MPREG.
1. Deal With The Devil

Hey guys, this is the new story I was talking about at the end of 'Sins of The Father'. I really put a lot of work into this first chapter and I hope that you all come to enjoy this story as much as you all enjoyed 'SOTF'.

Anyway, being that I have now started back college, I won't be able to update as frequently as SOTF. BUT, I guarantee you all that I will be updating AT LEAST once a week. Perferably Sunday-Tuesday because that's when I'll have the most free time available.

So please, let me know what you think about this first chapter/story so far.

And if you like it, PLEASE review. Those are always nice:)

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you,

Unforeseen Consequences

* * *

Chapter 1: Deal With The Devil

The first day of Autumn gleefully introduced itself to youngest Strider sibling via sun rays almost 93,000,000 miles away to his bedroom in their high rise Houston, Texas apartment. Dave slowly creeped his eyes open only to be visually sucker punched by the onslaught of blinding rays that made his ruby red eyes their personal target. Dave quickly flung his arm over onto his nightstand to retrieve the only salvation that would keep his retinas from being permanently blinded, his beloved shades.

As soon his beloved babies were securely perched on the bridge of his nose, Dave sat up on his bed and ran a hand through his currently messy blond hair.

"Somebody remind me to nail those curtains shut," Dave quietly told himself as he slung his skinny legs over the side of the bed.

Dave walked over to his closet and slung open the door to get a look at himself in the full length mirror hanging on the inside of the door.

He smirked at the mirrored image that stood before him.

Gone were the days of cute, adorable prepubescent Dave Strider. Oh no, now reigned the stud muffin hot out of the oven, Dave 'The' Strider.

He shamelessly admitted, he was the hottest 15 year old this side of Death Valley.

He had beautiful, silky blond hair that the ladies just can't keep their hands out of. His toned and slightly curvaceous body turned heads whenever he was out in public and felt like 'strutting his stuff'. And let's not forget that freckle sprinkled baby face that seemed to glisten in the sun under his pristine complexion.

Oh yes, Dave definitely saw himself as a sex god; except for one thing. He was smaller than your average 15 year old, born and raised Texas teenaged boy.

This was, of course, due to his premature delivery into this world at just 6 months in the womb. It didn't really stifle is self confidence or anything; and due to years of strifing with his older brother, he knew he could easily take ANYONE who tried to pick a fight with him. It just kinda bothered him that he was no where near the size his brother was when he was his age.

When Dirk was his age, he was already 6 feet easily and was almost 170 pounds of sheer muscle.

Dave was, now, probably at best 5' 7" and weighed MAYBE 110. But hey, he was just a year into puberty. He was still growing. He'll reach his full potential, one day.

Dave lifted his arms and gave himself of good stretch, only to double over in another gut wrenching cramp.

"Damn these cramps," Dave hissed.

That was another side effect of believed to be caused by his premature birth. Every month since he hit puberty, he's been having these bad abdominal cramps. He's gone to the doctor for it, and they just told him it was growing pains and sent him home with pain medication.

And just to be a male genital, Dirk started joking that he was PMSing.

* * *

Still clenching his aching belly, Dave stumbled into the kitchen to achieve his pain medication for those godforsaken cramps.

He took a couple of the green and yellow capsules, which he called the 'John Deere' pills, and made his way into the living room. Where he was not so surprised to see his older brother Dirk passed out of the futon.

This had been the fifth night this week that Dave had woken up in the morning to find his brother like his from coming in from his now multiple jobs.

Dave always thought they were good on money due to his brother's hopping club down town, so he didn't know why he brother was up and suddenly taking on these multiple jobs.

It's been like this for a month. Dirk would wake up, go to his first job. Come home, go to his second job. And depending on what day it was, he would either go to a third job or finally go to work at his club that he ran with his best friend Jake English, then come home and pass out on the futon. Wash, rinse, repeat.

In the short window of time that Dave finally did see, let alone spend time with, his brother, Dirk seemed to be really anxious about something and was either be too tired or too on edge to do anything. He tried to play it cool when his little brother was around, and even with his trademark anime shades on, Dave could see it in his face and he knew something was wrong.

Dave would always beg, sometimes he even pleaded with his brother to please tell him what was going on. And if there was anything at all that he could do to help him through whatever it was that was making him work so hard; but Dirk would always tell his little brother that it was none of his concern and it was something that he had to take care of. And Dirk would just leave it at that.

The hell if it wasn't any of his concern! This was his brother, the man who raised him since he was born. If something was bothering him, he had a right to know dammit! And if his brother wasn't going to tell him anything, he had to find out for himself.

But not right now, right now he had school to get to. Okay, after school, he was getting to the bottom of this.

Dave quietly absconded back to the other side of the apartment to do the essentials to get ready for the day.

* * *

Before he stepped out the door to go to school, Dave looked over at his bone tired brother, who was still passed out on the couch.

"Why won't you tell me anything?" Dave quietly said before he shut the door behind him.

"Because, it's not your place Little Man," Dirk said as he rolled himself off of the futon, "I made my bed, now I have to lay in it."

The bed Dirk was referring to was a six digit loan debt he's found himself in over the past five years.

Five years ago, Dirk told his best friend Jake English his grand idea of opening up a night club in downtown Houston; and that the two of them could run it together. Jake thought it was a great idea and wanted to get started immediately. There was just one thing standing in their way. The had no money to fund their idea.

Dirk had heard if this guy named Jack Noir who could help them with their problem. But Noir was the last person you ever wanted to be business with. He was a notorious loan shark who had a bad reputation of getting his money back from his clients, one way or another. And they didn't call him 'Jack The Ripper' for nothing.

Dirk knew this guy was bad news, and Jake pleaded with him not borrow money from him. Jake told him that they should either take out a loan at a legitimate bank, or wait until they saved up enough to do it themselves. But with both of their piss poor credit scores, it would next to impossible for either of them to get a good enough loan. And being the stubborn mule that he is, Dirk didn't want to wait until they saved enough money to open the club. That could take years. He wanted to do it and do it now.

And the money was right there, his for the taking.

So, FAR against his, and Jake's, better judgement; he signed a $50,000 loan at 25% interest.

Noir informed him that he would send him a letter when the due date was approaching.

Five years later and that letter came last month.

The loan had accumulated to over $100,000 and the due date was at the end of the month.

Thankfully, over the past five years, Dirk did manage to save up the $50,000 to pay back the initial loan amount. Not over 100,000.

He told, his now business partner, Jake about the letter and of the now staggering six digit debt.

After giving him a stern lecture of this is exactly why they should have waited, Jake offered to pay the other $50,000+ debt. To which Dirk stubbornly refused him from doing so.

He told Jake, that he made this mess and that he was going to be the one to clean it up.

And ever since Dirk received that letter in the mail at the beginning over the month, he been working 3 extra jobs to cover the remaining debt himself. Giving him little if any time to speak to, let alone spend time with, his little brother Dave. Dave was his life and Dirk hated himself for not being able to spend time with his brother. These were the biggest and most influential years of a child's life, and Dirk felt like he was missing out on his brother's life.

Before, the two would hang out all the time. Play video games together, go to the skate park together, having their occasional strifing sessions. Everything that two brother's could do, short of breaking any laws, they did. And now, Dirk barely had time to come home and blink before it was time for him to start his 2nd or 3rd job.

But sometimes, a man has got to do what a man's got to do if he's going to provide for his family and keep them out of harms way. And with Noir's repayment policy, 'Pay us back, or we'll take it back.', and Dirk wasn't about to find out exactly what the last part of that saying actually meant.

With Noir's long and violent history, Dirk couldn't afford to take any chances.

Dirk wobbled his way into the bathroom to repeat the cycle he's been on for the past month.

'How on earth am I going to pay back the rest of that loan?' Dirk thought as cold water poured down his exhausted body. 'What was I thinking?! How could have I been so stupid to get mixed up in a guy like that! I've got half the money and it's due by the end of next week,' Dirk mentally kicked his own ass over a dozen times since he stepped in the shower.

'It's hopeless, I'll never get the money in time,' Dirk sighed.

"What am I gonna do?"

* * *

"What am I gonna do?" Dave slammed his head down on the lunch room table.

"Do what Dave?" Jade Harley asked as she sat by her boyfriend at the same table.

"Uhhh, it's my bro! He won't tell me anything about what's been going on," Dave said lifting his head up before burring it in his hands.

"What's been going on?" Dave's best friend John Egbert asked as he joined his best friends at the table.

"I don't know, that's the problem! Bro won't tell me anything," Dave said lifting his head up again.

"Maybe he won't tell you because he doesn't want you to worry," Jade said taking a bite from her pizza.

"And he thinks I'm not worrying now by him not telling me anything?" Dave replied, "If he would just tell me what's going on, then maybe I can help him somehow," Dave ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey I have an idea," John spoke up, causing both of his friends to look at him strangely, "While Bro's not home, sneak into his room and see if you could find anything out of the ordinary. Like any letters or something"

"Egbert, you're a genius!" Dave said, "Why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, I remember why. Because I don't like being dead. I can't go into Bro's room! It's forbidden territory," Dave sarcastically told his friend.

"C'mon man, what do you have to loose?"

"My life."

"Come on Dave, here him out. I think it's the only way you're ever going to get any answers as to what is going on with your bro. Just, when he goes to work, slip into his room and look on bis desk for any letters that you think would cause someone to be, distressed. You know like bank notes, letters about a loan or something. You know, stuff like that," Jade told Dave.

"Alright fine, but don't surprised if the headline on the Sunday paper reads, 'Brother kills brother for trespassing in room'" Dave ranted.

Both John and Jade laughed at their pouting friend sulking in his chair.

* * *

"Bro? You home?" Dave called to his brother as he walked in the door.

The only greeting he heard in return was the eerie screech of silence.

Dave walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge, only to have the living daylights scared out of him as he felt a warm stream trickle down his leg.

There was Lil' Cal in the fridge, on top of a pizza box, TIED around HIS apple juice, with a note tucked in his arms.

Dave leaned in the fridge and pulled out the apple juice bottle by the lid. He pulled out the note tucked in the demon doll's arms and it read,

'Hey Little Man,

Gotta work at the club right after the 3rd shift.

I told Lil' Cal to keep a watch on the pizza for ya.

Gotta run, be home late.

Love ya,

-Bro'

"Sure ya do, you prick!" Dave said as pushed Lil' Cal off his sacred nectar with his foot.

Dave picked up the doll with the end of a broom, "I ought to throw you away," Dave peered down the hallway towards Dirk's room.

"But then again, what kind of brother would I be if I didn't return my older brother's most sacred possession to it's rightful place?"

Dave opened the door to his brother's room and slung Lil' Cal onto his bed, arms and legs still knotted and all.

"Alright Bro, let's see what you've been hiding," Dave said as he made a B-Line to his brother's desk.

Dave moved a few papers around on his brother's desk until he found something very odd. A solid black envelope. Dave picked it up and noticed that there was a letter inside.

"I wonder what this is?" Dave said as he removed the letter from the envelope.

It was addressed to Dirk from this place called, 'Black Jack Loans'.

"This must be it," Dave said as he started reading the letter.

"What?" Dave asked aloud as he continued reading the letter.

Dave's eyes grew as big as saucers when he read the total amount of the loan debt.

"Oh my God! How can they expect anyone to pay all that in five years?!," Dave ranted, "This has got to be what Bro has been so worried about."

"Well, I've got to do something! There's gotta be something that I can do to help Bro out! Maybe, maybe if I got to this Black Jack guy, this Jack Noir, maybe I can work something out with him."

Dave looked at the return address to see where this place was from, "This place is in Houston, just across town."

"Okay, night let's pay Mr. Jack Noir a visit."

* * *

"That'll be $15.44 kid," the cab driver told Dave as they stopped out side of Noir's place of business.

"Here's a $20, keep the change," Dave said handing the man the bill as he got out of the car.

Upon looking at the old building, there was no doubt that he were in the right place. The front of the building was lite up from a big neon sign that read 'Black Jack Loans' right next to two playing cards; a jack and an ace.

Dave walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Remember Strider, keep your cool at all costs," Dave tried to give himself a little pep talk before the door slung open.

Dave jumped alittle when a big, burly man appeared in the doorway.

"What do you want?" the man said staring Dave down.

"I'm here to see Jack Noir, it's a, it's about a loan," Dave tried not to sound intimidated by the man who could have been easily three times his size.

"Follow me," the man blankly stated.

The man lead Dave up three flights of stairs, and down a hallway before stopping outside of a solid black door.

"Wait here," the man instructed Dave as he knocked on the door before entering.

"Mr. Noir, there is a young man here to see you. He says he needs to talk to you about a loan."

"Ahhh, send the boy in," Noir said, sitting in his chair behind his large desk.

"He wishes to see you," the man told Dave as he stepped out of the room.

"Ahh, welcome to Black Jack Loans," Noir said as Dave quietly walked inside the room, "Please have a seat," Noir pointed to the chair directly across from his desk.

"Now, how may I help you?" Noir asked Dave as he settled down in his seat.

"Mr. Noir, my name is Dave Strider and I believe my brother owes you alot of money," Dave formally introduced himself.

"Ah yes, Dirk I believe his name is. I lent him 50K five years ago to open up a club with his friend. How is that business doing?" Noir tried to sound interested.

"It's doing pretty good, thank you for asking. But the reason why I came was because he received a notice from you dated back a month ago saying that the full balance was due by the end of the month," Dave said handing the paper to Noir.

"Pardon me sir, but a month is not nearly enough time for my brother to raise the full amount by himself."

"Your brother had five years to raise the total amount. More than enough time if you ask me, it's not my fault he chose to wait to the last second to get the money," Noir informed Dave, practically rolling his eyes.

"Well, isn't there anything that I can do to help maybe take the burden off my brother a bit? Maybe I can work for you? Would that help lower his debt?" Dave asked practically begging Noir.

Noir gave him a good long stare before smirking, "Actually, there maybe something you could do that would take your brother's debt off of his hands."

"What is it?! Anything! You name it!" Dave immediately answered, willing to do anything and everything he could to release his brother from his enormous debt.

"You," Noir simply stated.

"What?" Dave asked confused.

"You. You give yourself to me for one night, and your brother's debt will be completely taken care of," Noir grinned, "That is my offer to you. Take it or leave it."

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Dave blurted out, "No! Absolutely not!"

"Alright, have it your way. Gee though, I really hope your brother has insurance on that club of his. I'd sure hate to hear anything bag happening to it. I'm sure he and his friend up alot of work into it. But that's how it is with old buildings such as the one your brother's club; run down, faulty wiring. It'd really be awful to see all their hard work go up in flames."

"You wouldn't," Dave said, not believing what the man was implying.

"Oh I am more than capable of doing so David," Noir said leaning back in his chair.

Dave thought long and hard, Dirk had been dreaming about that place for years. Since Dave was little, Dirk would go on and on about him owning his own club one day. How people would come from miles and miles away just to hear his beats. And he was so excited when his dream was finally realized. With his and Jake's hard work, the place was fixed up in no time. And the first night they opened, the place was packed full and there was still a line outside the door. That club was arguably one of the greatest achievements in Dirk's life.

"I'd hurry up and make my decision if I were you David. This offer expires in 3...2..."

"ALRIGHT FINE! I'll do it!" Dave said, not being able to bear the thought of his brother loosing everything he put his heart and soul into for the past five years,

"Just promise me, one night and the debt is gone right?" dave almost threw up as those words left his mouth.

"You have my word," Noir smirked

"Alright, fine," Dave quietly said, "Let's get this over with."

* * *

I hope you guys liked this first chapter.

I'm really looking forward to hearing from you guys:)

Let me know what you think.


	2. Paid In Full

WOW! I cannot possibly believe how many like this story already! You guys just blow me away! I love you all so, so, so FREAKING much! YOU GUYS ROCK!

I hope you guys really enjoy this chapter. I put a lot of hard work into this. (I pulled an all-nighter for this, just so you know).

Anyway, I'll eventually get my uploading schedule and school schedule worked out so I'll be able to update regularly. I don't have hardly any working assignments, which is good. I just have a TON of reading, and that's what kills most of my time and energy.

I'm going to aim for two updates a week. With Monday still being my primary update day.

And please keep the reviews coming! They mean so much to me!:)

* * *

Chapter 2: Paid In Full

"You have my word."

Those four words rang in his ears the whole night, through the whole ordeal.

And now, eight hours later, the deal had been sealed.

His brother was now debt free; and Noir, well, he got what he wanted. Every part of the once virgin young Strider, in every sick and twisted way beyond imagination.

But, at least, Noir gave him money for a cab to get home.

"Thank, God. It's finally over," said a very exhausted Dave as he wobbled down the hallway towards his apartment.

The word 'filthy' was an understatement. Dave felt absolutely disgusting, filthy, wretched; he had bruises and bite marks all over his body, in some places best left unmentioned. He could still feel Noir on him, or in him rather.

Dave wished to God that Noir had used a condom. But being that Dave WAS a virgin, and since Noir didn't have anything, Noir saw no point in using one. And besides, Noir said that it would be the 'ink in his signature'.

Right now, all Dave wanted to do was step behind that door and get every trace of Noir and his 'ink' off of him.

As Dave fiddled with his keys, trying to quietly unlock the door so he wouldn't wake his most likely sleeping brother, he couldn't help but wonder what his bro would do if he ever found out about his and Noir's little 'agreement'.

However, as sheer irony would have it, the moment Dave stepped in the door, he didn't have to wait long to find out the answer to that pondering thought.

* * *

"Alright, Little Man! It is 6 O'Clock in the morning, start talking! Where the hell have you been?!" Dirk appearing right in front his younger brother as he slammed the door behind him.

"What happened to you?" Dirk's anger subsided when he got a full look at his little brother pressed against the door. Dave looked like he had been through hell and back. He had red marks all over his face and neck and,

'Are those, hickies?'

Dirk quickly grabbed ahold of both of Dave's wrists and lifted him above his head so Dirk could inspect the damage.

Deaf to a many of Dave's protests, Dirk examined the numerous red marks and bruises on his younger brother's face and neck. There was no doubt in Dirk's mind that mark's on his little brother's skin were indeed hickies. Now the only thing on Dirk Strider's mind was finding out who could have done this to his baby.

Dirk let go of Dave's wrists and placed his hands on Dave's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Little Man, I know you've been out all night. Did you honestly think that the old pillow under the bed sheet trick was gonna fool me?" Dirk tightened his grip on Dave's shoulder, "Tell me, what happened! Who did this to you?!"

Dave lowered his head down. He couldn't hardly bring himself to look at his brother in the eye right now. Not after all the hell he went through just to get him out of a debt.

Instead of giving a direct answer, Dave shook himself loose of his bro's grip and ducked underneath him as he tried to continue his way toward the bathroom.

But Dirk wasn't taking that for an answer. He was going to get some answers, one way or another.

He grabbed his brother by the wrist before he could get any further.

"What the hell Bro?! Let go of me!" Dave spun around to confront his elder sibling.

"No can-do Little Man. Not until I get some answers," Dirk said as he led his little brother over to couch.

Before he shoves his brother down onto the futon, Dirk notices a paper hidden in his back pocket. Before Dave has time to react, Dirk snatches the paper out his pocket and held it high above Dave's head, completely out of the younger blond's reach.

"Hey!" Dave hollers as his bro holds him away at arms length as he recognizes it as the letter that turned his world into hell.

The blood in Dirk's face drained when he saw big red letters spelling out 'Paid in Full' stamped on it.

"David Jacob Strider," Dave could now hear the anger in his bro's voice, Dirk whipped around and grabbed Dave under the chin, forcing him to look into the other's eyes, "I'm going to ask you one, MORE, time. What, the HELL, is going on?! Where did you get this?!"

"Fine! You want to know what happened?! I paid you're little bill for you! I gave my ass to cover your's!" Dave finally gave in and admitted.

Dirk just kinda stood there for a moment, not really believing what his little brother just told him.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to..." Dave tried to push past his brother, but a strong hand shoved him down on the couch.

"What did you just say?" Dirk said almost in a low growl, causing a slight shiver of fear to crawl up Dave's spine.

"You heard me. I said I paid your bill for you, and..."

"Sit your ass down! You ain't going anywhere until you tell me EXACTLY what the hell happened," Dirk demanded as he less than gently shoved his little brother back down on the couch.

The force from being shoved back on the couch a second time caused a shock of pain to shoot up from Dave's abused backside; causing Dave to wince as his bottom met the cushion.

"What's wrong Little Man? Are you okay?" Dirk kneeled down, immediately regretting pushing him so hard.

Suddenly it all clicked in Dirk's mind. The numerous red marks and hickies all over his body. The rough and exhausted appearance. The unwillingness to tell him anything. And now the pain from being forced to sit down. It all meant one thing to Dirk Strider.

"Little Man, were you raped? Did Noir rape you?! That's it, isn't it!" Dirk demanded to know.

"What? No! We.."

"Oh so that's how he plays huh?!" Dirk just hollers without listening to a word his brother just said, "I can't pay him back so he goes after my little brother?!"

"No Bro, listen..."

Before Dave can finish his sentence, Dirk storms off to his room to gather up every weapon he could find to enact his revenge on the man who he believed raped his baby brother.

"Bro? Bro, what are you doing?" Dave nervously walks into his brother's room to find his bro stuffing all his swords into a duffle bag.

"Don't you worry Little Man, Big Bro is going to make sure the man pays for even thinking about laying a hand on my baby bro," Dirk said zipping up the duffle bag before he slung it over his shoulder.

"Bro, please stop!" Dave tried to block his brother from exiting his room, but Dirk easily shoved past him.

"Little Man, if you're afraid that Noir is gonna come after you if you tell anyone; Big Bro's gonna make sure he's never gonna come near you ever again," Dirk said as he made his way towards the door. Completely ignoring Dave's multiple tries to stop him.

"BRO! FOR THE LAST TIME I WASN'T RAPED!" Dave ran infront of the front door and screamed to the top of his lungs before he could finally get any sense through Dirk's skull.

"Just stop, shut up, sit down, and let me explain everything, Okay?"

* * *

Over the next half hour, Dave sat down with his bro and explained everything as calmly as he could.

Dave told Dirk that for the past month, he had been deeply concerned about his behavior. He was all of suddenly taking on multiple jobs and working around the clock basically. He was barely at home, and when he was, he was either too tired or too stressed out to talk about anything. Let alone his reason why he was working so hard.

Dave told Dirk that yesterday at school, Jade and John to sneak into his room to see if he could find anything that would normally cause someone to stressed out. Like something about a loan. Dave told his brother that's where he learned about Noir.

"Last night," Dave told his bro, "I went to where Noir worked to see if there was anything I could to help pay off the loan. I even offered to work for him! But made me an agreement," Dave shamefully admitted.

"What agreement?" Dirk asked.

"That if I give myself to him for one night, then he'll drop the debt completely. If I didn't then he would burn down the club," Dave lowered his head in shame, "I had to do it Bro. I couldn't bear to see you loose something you worked so hard for. If you're ashamed of me, I understand."

Dirk couldn't believe what he just heard. He literally quite speechless. And he remained so for more than a few minutes.

After a few minutes of silence, Dave took eerie screech if silence between the two as brother's shunning. So without saying a word, Dave quietly got up from the couch and went to go take that shower.

Dirk just sat there still shocked at everything his beloved baby brother just admitted to him. A few minutes after Dave turned the water on, it all finally, really began to sink into Dirk of what his baby brother went through for him.

* * *

However stone faced, Dirk quietly and kinda wobbly got up from his seat on the couch and stumbled into his room. Once behind the seclusion of his bedroom door, Dirk just let the tears just pour down his face.

He wasn't ashamed of his brother. He could never be ashamed of him. He has never felt more proud of his little brother than right now. His little brother sacrificed himself to save everything that he had been working for. No words in the English language could ever truly express how gratefully Dirk felt to his little brother.

As Dirk felt pride for his little brother fill his chest, the feeling of disgust and anger weren't far behind. He was disgusted and angry with himself. For even getting involved with Noir in the first place. If hadn't had taken out that loan, then his baby brother, who will always be a baby in his eyes, wouldn't have had to pay the price. Dirk would never forgive himself for that.

* * *

After what felt like an hour long shower, Dave finally emerged feeling more like a human being again. He had scrubbed and cleaned every square centimeter of himself, and he was quite certain his entire flesh was now the same complexion as his eyes. Dave looked at his body in the foggy mirror, he could still see most of the bruises but at least most of the red marks were now gone. After he finished examining himself in the mirror, Dave brushed his teeth and gar giggled with about the half the bottle of mouth wash. He was tempted to drink it, if just to kill any trace of Noir still inside of him.

As he exited the steam filled sanna in fresh clean clothes and made his way toward his bedroom, and through his brother's adjacent bedroom door, Dave heard something very unusual.

"Is that, crying?" Dave stopped and peeked in his brother's room.

There was his brother, sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, crying!

In all his 15 years, not once had he ever seen his bro cry. Ever!

'Maybe, I should see if he's okay.'

Dave quietly knocked on his brother's door, "Bro are you okay? Can I come in?" Dave peeked his head in.

Not one move was made by the elder Strider.

Normally, this would have been a sign to Dave to scram, but something was different. Like something was almost telling him to enter into his brother's room.

Dave slowly approaches the sobbing man on the floor. He crouches down beside his bro on the floor and gently places a hand on his shoulder.

The sudden touch made Dirk jerk his head up, causing Dave to recoil his hand in shock.

"Bro? Are you okay?" Dirk's glasses were astrew and Dave could see his brother's blood shot orange eyes.

Dirk didn't respond to that question by words, but by actions. He wrapped his strong arms around his brother's small frame and engulfed him in a warm, bone crushing hug. Dirk held his baby brother as he cried into his hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Little Man!" Dirk continued crying over and over again to his little brother.

Not really knowing what else to do, Dave wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and returned the hug.

"You're, you're not ashamed me?" Dave asked.

Dirk looked at Dave dead in the eyes, "No, there's no way that I could ever be ashamed of you! I'm so proud of you! You will never know how eternally grateful I am to you! I love you Little Man, so much, more than you will ever, ever know! I know I don't deserve it, but would you please forgive me!"

"There is nothing to be forgiven for," Dave said, "I love you Bro."

Dirk smiled then planted a big kiss, right in the middle of Dave's forehead, "I love you too Little Man."

Dirk then picks both Dave and himself up off the floor and lays down with his beloved baby in his bed.

"I love you Little Man."

"I love you too Bro."

Both brother's soon fall asleep together, wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

It's kind of funny when you think about it, in a rather ironic twist of fate, now that Dave paid off Dirk's debt; Dirk would now forever be in his.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think of this chapter.

I mean who doesn't love Strider brotherly love fluff:)


	3. Strange Changes

You guys, are just so incredibly AWESOME! SO AMAZING THAT I CANNOT FIND ENOUGH WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO EXPRESS WHO AMAZING YOU ALL ARE! I just love you all so so so so FREAKING much!

Thank you, thank you, thank you all soooooooo much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and subscribed to this story all ready! You guys just do not know how much it means to me whenever I see that someone, somewhere, has reviewed, favorited or subscribed to this story! From the very bottom of my heart, THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOO FREAKING MUCH!:D :D :D

And please don't forget to review.

(And I just want to let you all know that I pulled another all nighter for this! Oh Kuerig machine, how I love you so3) But not as much as you guys!

* * *

Chapter 3: Strange Changes

Dave gripped ahold to rim of the toilet as he emptied the contents of his stomach for the fifth time that day. Dave tightly clinched his watery eyes shut as the bile finished it's travel up his esophagus and into the bowl below.

"Oh God," Dave somehow managed to muster as he leaned his head up from the toilet bowl.

He closed his eyes as he buried his face in his hand as the other reached to flush the atrocious mess he made in the toilet bowl deep into the Houston sewer system.

He had been feeling like crap all day; scratch that, for going on two months!

This had been going on for nearly 2 months now. Ever since his and Noir's little "agreement".

Wake up, run to bathroom or the nearest trashcan; get dressed, TRY to eat breakfast, and depending whether or not breakfast was successful, run to the bathroom for trashcan again; go to school, make another maybe two or three more trips to bathroom before the day was over with; go home and and eat everything in sight; go to sleep; and then in morning, start the whole ungodly process all over again.

Today has been especially rough on him. He woke up feeling like crap and it only got worse throughout the day.

The first thing he felt this morning were those godawful cramps using his insides as their own personal punching bag.

Normally, these cramps would only appear around the middle/end of the month. Now, they were happening almost everyday; and when they showed up, they definitely made their presence known.

He waddled his way into the kitchen to get his John Deere pills, only to discover he was out of them. He ended up taking the last of their Tylenol, after he got out of the bathroom that is.

After he got out of the bathroom, he didn't even attempt to eat breakfast and just went ahead and got dressed and went to school.

Thankfully, his stomach decided to calm down during the most of school. He only had to excuse himself twice. But his stomach wasn't the only thing causing him problems today. Due to his excessive tiredness, he could barely keep himself awake during class. And to top it off, today they were supposed to be taking Midterms today.

If it wasn't for Midterms, he would have stayed home today. But even then he wasn't sure if going to school today had been a good idea. He couldn't concentrate through hardly any of his tests. He was sure he failed most of them. Well, at least school was over now and he was at home with his bro.

* * *

After he got finished in the bathroom, Dave walked back into the kitchen where his bro was sitting at the table.

"Hey Little Man, how are you feeling?" Dirk asked his little brother as he climbed up on the kitchen counter.

"Like crap," Dave said, ravaging through the cabinets.

"What are you looking for?"

"Anything! I'm starving," Dave said pulling out a box of crackers, a jar of peanut butter, and a can of cheese spread.

Dirk looked in horror at the sight of his brother spreading the peanut butter and cheese concoction onto the salty crackers.

"That is T-Totally disgusting Little Man," Dirk said, shaking his head as his little brother crammed the concoction into his mouth.

"What? It's good," Dave said with his mouth full.

"And you wonder why you keep throwing up."

Dave paid no mind to his brother as he continued shoving the horrific creation in his mouth.

Dirk knew he would be on thin ice from what he is about to say, but he just couldn't stop himself.

"So when are you gonna pop the question to Egbert as you are already carrying his child."

"SHUT UP YOU DICK!" Dave screamed at his brother as he threw the can of cheese directly at his head.

Thankfully, Dirk dodged the attack and the can ended up missing it's intended target.

"Ah come on Little Man, you know I was just joking."

"I'M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR ANY OF YOUR JOKES TODAY ASSHOLE!" a thoroughly pissed of Dave screamed at his bro.

"Come on Little Man, don't be angry at me. Come on, give me a hug," Dirk lightly said as he approached his fuming brother.

"THE ONLY THING I'M GONNA GIVE YOU IS MY FOOT SHOVED STRAIGHT UP YOUR..." Dave had to pause his rant for a moment as he jumped off of the counter and ran to bathroom.

Dirk instantly regretting picking at his baby brother as he heard the bathroom door slam shut. He should have known better than to pick on him like that. Dave had been on an emotional roller coaster for about 6 weeks now. Dirk could just look at Dave and he would start fussing; or worse, crying.

The crying was the worst.

Dave would be completely fine one second, and then the next, he would be an absolute ball of tears. And Dave NEVER cried!

Dirk could recall this one incident when Dave was about 6, and he accidentally stepped on a mouse trap and did not shed one tear. If anyone cried it was Dirk. He couldn't stand the sight, or even the thought, of his baby brother getting hurt. That feeling still stood strong to this day.

Dirk felt the pain of guilt shoot through his body as he heard his baby puke his guts out in the bathroom. Ever since Dave, 'took care of his debt', he has been sick. And Dirk was beginning to wonder if Noir could have gave him something that would have caused him to get so sick.

'I swear if that bastard gave my baby anything I will kill him with my bear hands!' Dirk's thoughts ranted as he went to check on his little brother.

* * *

"Little Man? You okay?" Dirk asked as he knocked on the door.

"No," Dirk could hear Dave sniffle through the bathroom door.

"Can I come in?"

"Whatever," Dave said through the door.

Dirk took that as I yes.

He slowly opened the door and proceeded to enter with caution.

Dave was sitting on the floor by the toilet, with his head buried in his hands, sobbing.

Dirk walked over toward his baby brother and put his arms around him.

"I'm sorry for picking on you Little Man. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Dirk apologized.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. And I'm sorry I threw that can at you," Dave sniffled as he buried his head into his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah well, I needed some sense knocked into me anyway," Dirk lightly smirked.

Dave smiled at that one.

Dirk looked over toward the sink and grabbed wet a washrag.

"Here," Dirk said handing his brother the cloth to clean himself up with.

"Thanks," Dave said wiping his face and mouth with the rag.

"First thing Monday morning, I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Good, I'm really getting sick of all this crap."

Dirk smirked, "Pun intended?"

"Oh bite me you jerk," Dave retorted.

* * *

Dirk picked himself and his brother up off the cold bathroom floor and lead Dave into the living room as he went to go get ready for his real job that night.

"So what are you going to do tonight Little Man?" Dirk called from his room.

Before Dave could answer, his phone dinged.

It was a text from John.

'Hey man, Dad said you guys can come over tonight if y'all wanted too.'

'okay

cool

see ya in a bit' Dave replied.

"Apparently I'm going to John's," Dave called from the living room.

"Good, I'd feel better about you staying over there tonight. I don't like leaving you alone especially when you're sick," Dirk replied.

Dave just smirked and shook his head at his brother's overprotectiveness. He was fixing to be 16 in about a month! He wasn't a child anymore and he hated to be treated like one. Especially by his brother.

But, Dave could see where his brother was coming from. He was the apple of his brother's eye after all, and Dirk MADE SURE he knew it.

But ever since 'the agreement', Dirk had been acting especially protective over his brother. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that they wouldn't see the last of Noir. And Dirk would be damned before he let the man get within an inch of baby brother.

At least if Dave was at the Egberts, then Dirk knew he would be safe.

* * *

"Okay, you be good for Mr. Egbert okay," Dirk said as he dropped Dave off at the Egberts before he headed to the club.

"I will," Dave said grabbing his bag from the back seat.

"Call me if you need anything okay?"

"I will."

"Okay, see ya later Little Man. Love you."

"Love you too Dad," Dave retorted as he got out of the car.

Dirk smirked as he watched his younger brother walked up his best friend's driveway before driving off.

Dave rung the door bell and heard a dog barking.

"God, why did Jade have to bring that stupid mutt with her," Dave quietly said as whoever was going to open the door was taking their dear sweet time.

When the door finally opened, Dave was first greeted by the ferocious hell hound.

However, instead of pouncing on Dave like he normally would do at first sight of the blond; Bec ran up to Dave and started sniffing and licking his stomach continually.

"Bec! What are you doing? Stop!" Dave said trying to pull the dog away from himself.

"Bec, cut that out!" Jade said appearing right behind her loyal pet and pulled him off her dearest friend.

"I'm sorry Dave, I don't know what's gotten into him," Jade said stepping out of the way so Dave could enter into the Egbert's home.

"It's okay," Dave said putting his bag down by the door.

"Hey Dave!" John said calling from the bottom of the stairs, "How are you feeling?"

"Lately, like crap. But right now I'm feeling better," Dave said as he greeted his best friend.

"That's good," John smiled, "Hey grab your bag and come up to my room."

"Alright," Dave said as he picked his bag up and followed his friends up the stairs.

With Bec right behind Dave still.

"Bec, go on," Dave tried to swat the dog off but to no avail.

"Dave, I'm so sorry. You'll just have to excuse him. He's acting weird today," Jade said as she shooed the dog away as the entered into John's room.

To which Bec just sat outside of John's door.

"Bec didn't jump on you or scratch you up for anything did he?" Jade asked Dave.

"No, he just sniffed and licked my stomach," Dave told her.

"That's weird, he normally hates you. And the only other person he's done that to was my cousin when she was pregnant," Jade said

"Heh, maybe you have an alien baby inside of you and Bec was trying to warn us of our impending doom," John joked, playfully acting all scared.

"Oh yeah right Egbert, the only alien in this room is you," Dave picked.

"Hey where's Lalonde?" Dave asked.

"Right here," Rose said walking into John's room, "Jade, why was your dog standing right outside the door?"

"Oh he's just trying to protect us from Dave's alien baby," Jade jokingly said.

"An alien baby you say? Please, enlighten me," Rose sarcastically asked.

"Okay Dr. Lalonde," Dave decided to play along, "I've been feeling like hell for damn near two months straight. I've been exhausted all the time. I've been getting sick, basically puking at the drop of a hat. My appetite is through the roof. I've been craving the weirdest things. I've been having crazy mood swings. And those cramps I've been having ever since I hit puberty have been getting worse."

Rose took mental note of all of her friend's strange symptoms. If she didn't know any better, she would swear Dave really was pregnant. But that was impossible, boys can't get pregnant. Right?

"Okay Dave, I want you to think really hard. When EXACTLY did you start feeling these symptoms," Rose instructed Dave.

Dave didn't like the tone in her voice as she said that, it sounded urgent.

"After I went to talk to Noir about Bro's loan," Dave quietly said, "About a week afterwards maybe."

Dave's friends all knew what Dave had to do to get rid of his brother's debt. And the actions of that night were now raising some deep concerns.

"Dave, I don't know how to put this any other way, but you are experiencing the symptoms of a pregnant woman going through her first trimester," even Rose couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

But when she added it all up, it all made since. The cravings, the excessive tiredness, the mood swings, the puking aka morning sickness, the cramps. It all added up. But there was just one thing wrong, Dave was a boy. There's no possibly way he can be pregnant! Could he?

"Oh yeah right Lalonde!" Dave sarcastically said, "I'm pregnant and John is the king of Utopia!"

"Dave I am being dead serious. You need to go to the doctor and get checked out as soon as possible. For all we know, you could have a tumor that's causing you to have all these problems," Rose told Dave.

"I'm going to the doctor Monday, don't worry," Dave tried to reassure them, trying not to sound kind of freaked out himself.

'Damn Lalonde, don't freak out Strider. You're gonna be fine. Bro is gonna take you to the doctor Monday and everything is gonna be just fine,' Dave told himself over and over again.

After few awkward moments of silence filled the room before Dave smelt an alluring aroma coming from downstairs.

"Hey John, is Dad cooking stew? I'm starving," Dave said as he exited the room to go downstairs. Leaving his three friends behind in the room.

"How did he know Dad was fixing stew?" John asked.

* * *

"That was great Dad!" Dave said as he finished his second bowl of the delectable dish.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it David," Mr. Egbert family said, "There's plenty more incase you want some more."

"No, I couldn't possibly eat another bite." Dave said leaning back in his chair, until those cramps decided they were overdue for a visit. And they were back with vengeance

Dave clinched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as searing pain coursed through his abdomen.

"David?! Are you okay?!" Mr. Egbert immediately jumped out of his chair to help the boy.

"These...cramps again," Dave gritted his teeth, trying to get up from his chair. But the second his feet touched the floor, Dave was overcome by extreme dizziness and he collapsed in Mr. Egbert's arms.

"OH MY GOD DAVID!" Mr. Egbert screamed, lifting up Dave's now limp body, "SOMEBODY CALL 911!"

*ring ring ring*

"Hello, this is the Time of Knight. This is Jake English speaking, how may I help you?"

"JAKE! THIS IS MR. EGBERT. LISTEN TO ME, I NEED YOU TO GET DIRK AND TELL HIM TO MEET US AT THE HOSPITAL. THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH DAVE!"

"OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Jake cried over the phone.

"WE DON'T KNOW, HE STARTED HAVING THOSE CRAMPS AGAIN AND HE JUST PASSED OUT. HE'S IN THE AMBULANCE AND WE'RE FOLLOWING RIGHT BEHIND THEM."

"GO, WE'LL BE THERE AS SOON AS WE CAN!" Jake hung up and ran to go get Dirk.

Dirk was setting up everything back stage when saw Jake run around the corner.

"Hey man, what's up?" Dirk said picking up bass, fixing to connect it to the turntables.

"DIRK! WE GOTTA GO! IT'S DAVE! HE PASSED OUT AND THEY'RE TAKING HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!" Jake said running up to his friend and business partner.

Dirk immediately dropped the bass and was out the back door in less than a second.

In less than two minutes, both he and Jake made it to the hospital where Dave was at across town. All the way there, Dirk prayed that his baby brother was okay.

"MR. EGBERT! What happened?! Where is he?!" Dirk cried out as he rushed into the waiting room.

"Oh Dirk, they took him back there! We don't know what happened! We were just all sitting there at the dinner table when he started having those cramps again. I tried to help him up, but as soon as his feet hit the ground he fainted," Mr. Egbert explained to Dirk.

"When did they take him back there?" Dirk asked, trying to remain calm.

"Just a few minutes ago," Mr. Egbert informed Dirk, "The nurse said they would be back as soon as they had anything."

Until then, the only thing Dirk could do was wait.

After about 15 minutes of impatiently pacing back and forth in the waiting room, Dirk finally saw a nurse step into the waiting room.

"Family for David Strider," the nurse announced.

Dirk immediately rushed toward the woman.

"I'm his older brother, what's wrong with him?! Is he okay?!" Dirk frantically asked.

"He's okay Mr. Strider. The reason why David fainted was because he was dehydrated. He regained consciousness and we gave him an IV and we're going to keep him over night for observation."

Dirk breathed a few sighs of relief of the nurse's news. But his smile soon faded when he heard what else the nurse informed him.

"He ran blood work on him, and Mr. Strider, you're gonna want to see David's doctor with the results. Something every interesting came up," the nurse looked flabbergasted at Dave's file.

"When can I see Him?"

"He'll be in David's room shortly, you can talk to him there," the nurse informed Dirk, "Now if you would, follow me and I can take you to your brother's room."

* * *

"Dave? Little Man?" Dirk said as he entered in Dave's room.

Dave turned his head and saw his brother standing in the doorway, "Hey Bro, what are you doing here?" Dave quietly asked.

"Oh God, Dave!" Dirk immediately rushed over towards his baby bro and swung his arms around him, "DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

"I'm sorry Bro, I didn't mean to scare you," Dave quietly said, "Those cramps just starting flaring up again and when I tried to get up, I passed out."

"You're gonna be okay Little Man, the nurse just said that you were just dehydrated," Dirk said letting go of his baby brother, "She said that the doctor would be in here shortly to tell us your blood results."

As if on cue, the brothers heard a knock on the door.

"Hello Mr. Strider, I am the doctor presiding over David," the doctor introduced himself, "David, Mr. Strider, this is honestly the first case like this that I have ever seen. I have read about cases like this in medical notes from decades past."

"What is it Doc? Tell us," Dirk said getting impatient with the doctor.

"Mr. Strider, I don't know how to say this; but your brother is pregnant."


	4. Houston, We Have A Problem

I am so, so, so, sorry for the delay you guys! I couldn't get this chapter out to you all as soon as I hoped to, but it's better to be late than never. Am I right?

Anyway, I cannot possibly thank you all enough to everyone who reviewed, favorited and subscribed to this story all ready! From the very bottom of my heart, thank you thank you thank you all so, so, soooo FREAKING much! I just love you all so much, more than y'all can possibly imagine!

There are several things that I want to address.

1. I have worked out my schedule, but I can only update 1x a week (Sun-Tues.). This gives me time to make sure a chapter is good and done before I send it out to you guys. Lately, I've been catching myself working 8 hours straight through the night to get a chapter done all at once. And I've been catching myself making alot of mistakes by doing so. So what I'm going to do is work on a chapter throughout the week, that'll give me time to think things over and make any changes that needed to be changed. So that way, you guys won't have to pay from me getting caught up and wanting to get things done without thinking them through properly.

2. Somebody addressed to me that changing Dave's character in the last chapter was a bad idea. But let me explain something. When you are pregnant, your emotions get out of whack! You can be literally happy one minute and then the next you're crying your eyes out. This also applies to Dave. I'm not meaning to change his chapter when he has these epidodes; it's just called HORMONES. Now, will he be crying and upset in every chapter, of course not! He'll get upset and shed tears every now and then, but it won't be often. I just wanted to address that issue.

3. I'm sorry if things seemed to happen a little fast between chapters 2 & 3. There could have been a bridge in between those two chapter, but at the time, I just couldn't come up with one. But hey, now we're moving along surely!

So now, without any further ado, here is the long awaited chapter 4!

* * *

Chapter 4: Houston, We Have A Problem...

"...What?" was only word that either of now wide eyed Strider siblings could utter. Not Dave nor his brother could possible believe what the doctor just told them.

Dave looked over toward his brother, who before had his arms crossed against his chest, now just stood there with his arms dangling limply by his sides.

Even though Dirk kept his expressionless poker face from slipping, Dave could tell that he and his brother were thinking the exact same thing.

'Is this guy on something?'

"Well doc," Dave finally spoke,"I don't know it you noticed but, I'M A GUY! How in the natural born HELL, could I possible be pregnant?!" Dave raised his voice a little loader than his normal, cool kid tone of voice.

You try being a guy who just found out he was pregnant and see how you react.

"I know all this sounds extraordinary, David. But your tests confirm it. You are indeed pregnant. And when we done your MRI," the doctor went on, "we found a womb and a partial ovary that are connected to the anus through a fallopian tube."

"Oh my God..." upon hearing the information the doctor had just given him, Dave felt the oh so familiar presence of bile rising up from his esophagus. Dave rolled over to the side of the bed and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bin just beside his bed.

Dave couldn't believe it, but he had to admit it. Everything the doctor said was was true. It had to be! Nothing else made any since. The reason why he always getting sick, throwing his guts up; the cramps getting worse and worse; the reason why he basically had to fight every single second to stay awake, was because...

"How, how in the HELL is this even possible?!" Dirk said, and like his brother, raising his voice louder than his normal tone.

"A literal one in a billion chance, is how this occurred," the doctor continued, "I was your mother's, Cynthia's primary care giver while she was pregnant with you David." the doctor informed. "God rest her soul, she had a rough time her first trimester too, and..."

"Excuse me doctor, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?" Dirk interrupted, his growing irritation visible in his voice.

"I was getting to that," the doctor said, "now as I was saying; we had a difficult time determining the baby's sex. Now in a normal pregnancy, a baby starts to develop their, boy or girl parts, from between 9-11 weeks in the womb. With your mother's case on the other hand, we couldn't determine your sex until she was about 14 weeks. Here's what I think happened. For some reason during that 9-11 week period, it took longer than normal for your, boy parts, to develop and it allowed partial female sex organs to grow. Now at about the 14th week, your boy parts were finally developed properly; but by that time also, you had already developed a womb and partial ovary that, as we now know, got connected to the anus through a fallopian tube." the doctor concluded.

* * *

"This truly is a miracle of modern science!", the doctor added.

"Miracle isn't exactly the word I had in mind doc," all this "information" was making Dave's head spin.

If he hadn't had been on a bed, he was sure he would have been on the floor. He looked over towards his bro and didn't know how on earth he was still standing.

The only thing keeping Dirk from having a meeting with the floor was the wall he was using as a prop. And even then his knees were still shaking.

"No, the tests are wrong. There, there has to be a mistake somewhere!" Dirk said still not believing that the doctor just told both of them, "My little brother, there's no humanly possible way that he can be..."

"Mr. Strider, I know how difficult and confusing this is, but we've run every test there is to run. We've checked for every possibility for error. And we tested him for every disease under the sun. But the test all come back to one thing, David is indeed 100% pregnant," the doctor tried to explain to Dirk as calmly as he could without hitting him over the head with the clip board.

"In fact, we won't know for sure until we do an ultrasound, but with the blood tests, we estimate that he's about 6 weeks along," the doctor went on, going over his charts, making absolutely sure that there were no mistakes.

* * *

As poker faced as he may have been, Dirk couldn't help the twitches his eye was making when he heard how far along his little brother supposable was.

It's been six weeks to the day since Dave and Noir had...Dirk's eyes widened in sheer horror.

"Oh God," instead of Dave feeling the urge to regurgitate his insides, it was Dirk.

Dirk immediately rushed over and ejected the matter into the nearest trash can.

This was all his fault. If he hadn't have even gotten involved with Noir in the first place, then his baby brother wouldn't be in this situation and he certainly wouldn't be...pregnant. The guilt was eating him up inside, but sheer anger was picking up the pace.

'I'm gonna kill him. I swear to God, I'm going to tear him apart so bad that it'll take them a whole year to put him back together!' Dirk's mind raged as he spit the remaining bile in the trash can.

"All right doctor, what are our options?" Dirk said lifting his head up, "What can we do?"

"Well Mr. Strider, being that David is still early in his first trimester, it's not too late for him to get an abortion. However, in his circumstances, I wouldn't advice it. His immune system is done and the procedure would be risky for him, and he could easily catch an infection."

Dirk took a moment before he gave the doctor an answer.

What should he do? Should he give the doctor permission to do the abortion? What if he agreed to it, and Dave caught an infection and got sicker, or worse, died? Dirk would never be able to live with himself if he let anything else happen to his baby brother, much less put him through a risky procedure.

But then again, if he didn't have an abortion, then how on earth was Dave going to deliver this baby much less even take care of it. IF he could even carry it that long for him to have it. And if by some miracle that he did manage to carry it that long, he'd have to have a C-Section.

And Dirk didn't even want to think about what Dave would do about school once the baby was born. He'd probably have to drop out like he did to take care of Dave.

No, there was more thinking about.

Dirk was about to open his mouth to give the doctor his answer, but Dave bear him too it.

"No," Dave quietly said, "I won't do it. I won't have the abortion."

"The fetus, the baby didn't ask to be conceived the way it was; and it shouldn't have to die because of the way it was brought into the world," Dave spoke with the wisdom beyond his 15 years of life.

Even if he was, by legal definition, raped; he just couldn't bring himself to kill the product, the child of it.

Besides, what would their mother say if she saw him killing her first grandchild? She'd be very disappointed in him, both of them. Cynthia would love it no matter how it was conceived, and so should he.

"I'm sorry; I, I just can't bring myself to do," Dave said lowering his head.

"Well young man, I must say," the doctor was the first to speak, "that is a very wise decision and point of view you are looking from. I'm sure Cynthia would agree," the doctor smiled.

While the doctor was understanding and showed his support in the currently youngest Strider's decision; Dirk on the other hand,

"Are you completely out of your mind!"

Not so much...

"Did you even listen to the words that were coming out of your mouth?! You can't have a baby Dave! How in the hell are you going to take care of it?! Do you have any fathomable idea of what you're getting yourself into?! We'd have to get a bigger place; 3am wake ups, dirty diapers galore! And what the hell are you going to do about school when..."

"BRO!" Dave had to scream over his brother's ranting voice just to be heard, "Will you shut the hell up for one minute and let me say something?!"

That seemed to work as Dirk was now rendered speechless.

"Look, just because I'm not going to kill it, DOES NOT mean that I will keep it! It's a person too Bro, and it has a right to live," Dave boldly spoke, "and need I remind you that all this is your fault. If you hadn't had got into that debt, then we wouldn't be having this problem now would we?"

"God, don't remind me," Dirk bit his tongue.

"You know, you were right about one thing. I don't know how I'm going to take care of a kid. But we can find someone who can and will," Dave calmly said.

"There are numerous adoption agencies in the Houston area that take in newborns and find them good homes within weeks of their births. You should be able to find your baby a great home through one of them," the doctor informed.

"See there Bro! I can give the baby up for adoption and everything will be fine," Dave told his brother, "And besides Bro, what would Mama say if you or I gave someone permission to kill her first grandchild?"

That hit the spot.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. The baby, it doesn't matter how it was conceived; it's a person and it has a right to live. Mama didn't raise a baby killer, and neither did I," Dirk lowered his head in shame as he felt little beads of tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

He quickly wrapped his arms around his brother and pulling him into a warm hug, "I'm so sorry Little Man, I was just angry. Can you please forgive me?"

Dave slowly wrapped his arms around his brother, "It's okay Bro, I forgive you," Dave quietly said, his head buried in his brother's chest.

* * *

"David, here are some brochures from some of top adoption agencies in this area," the doctor said handing Dave several adoption brochures after the two brothers released each other from their grip, "I recommend that you get in touch with one of them as soon as possible."

"Thank you doctor, but if it's all the same to you, at this moment I really don't want to think about anything. I've had a very long day, I'm extremely tired and I just want to go to sleep," Dave told the doctor.

"Completely understandable," the doctor said before leaving the room, "I guess I'll leave you alone right now so you can get some rest. If you need anything, press that red button on the bed there. Before I leave, do you have anymore questions?"

"No sir," Dave sleepily said.

"Okay, well good night David. I'll be back in the morning to check on you."

"Thank you doctor," Dirk said before the doctor left the room, "and I'm sorry about my behavior earlier. I was just angry."

"There's no need to apologize, that wasn't the first explosive reaction I've ever seen and it won't be my last," the doctor smiled, "now, you take good care of young David."

"I will, doctor," Dirk said looking down at his now sleeping brother and petted his hair, "I will."

After the doctor left, Dirk remembered the horde of people in the waiting room. All waiting patiently to hear any news on Dave's condition. Dirk couldn't help the smirk that creeped up on his face at their would be reaction to the news.

"I'll be back in a little bit," Dirk said as he kissed his sleeping brother on the forehead.

* * *

"Hey there he is, finally!" Jake announced to the crowded room as the eldest Strider made his way back to the waiting room.

There was more people in the waiting room then when Dirk had left. Roxy and Jane had joined the crowd. Best as well though, everyone needed to be present to hear this.

"Well how is he? What did the doctor say?" Mr. Egbert asked Dirk.

Dirk took a few deep breaths, "I really don't know how else to tell you all this but, Dave is pregnant."

* * *

Please don't forget to review:)


	5. Playing With Fire

I am so so so sorry for the delay you guys, I seemed to have crontracted his deblitating disease called "Gettingsidetracked-itus". That and I have been sick all week:(, no fun.

Anyway, I really hate only getting one update a week out here for you guys, so I am going to TRY MY VERY BEST to get 2 updates a week for you guys. Just because I love you all so FREAKING much and I hate to keep you all waiting!

And again, you guys keep me going! I can never possibly thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews and to everyone who has not only favorited and subscribed to my story. But when I see someone actually favorite ME and subscribe to me! To see that people actually want to hear more of my 3am caffeine induced ramblings, that forever holds a special place in my heart! I could never possibly thank you thank you all so so much for that, for everything!

From the deepest pit in my heart, thank you all so much, to everyone who reviewed, favorited and subscribed to not only this story, but to me as well!

I am nothing without the grace of God Almight, and I thank God for you all everyday!

God Bless you all!:D

* * *

Chapter 5: Playing With Fire

The group's reaction to the startling news was much like that of the Strider brothers. Of all the things that they expected and prayed to God that they wouldn't hear, the thought of their young friend being, pregnant, wasn't at all what they had prepared themselves to hear.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Egbert broke the awkward silence bearing down in the room.

"Listen, I know it all sounds crazy, insane, but it's true. Dave's pregnant," Dirk said as calmly as he could.

"How, in the world could he possibly be pregnant?" Mr. Egbert continued, "Did they check for tumors or anything?!"

"They ran every test there was to run, they checked him for every disease under the sun. But everything, kept coming up the same, Dave is in his first trimester of pregnancy," Dirk announced.

"Dirk, man, are you sure you didn't fall and bang your head on the floor or something on the way back here?" Jake shook his head in disbelief, "There is no humanly possible way that Dave can be pregnant. Last time I checked, guys can't get pregnant."

Oh all the crazy and idiotic things that have come out of the mouth of Dirk Strider in the nearly 20 years that they have known each other, Jake was sure that this takes the cake.

"Look man, I know what I'm saying sounds borderlines insanity, and if the doctor didn't show me the results himself, I wouldn't believe it either. But when the done the MRI, they found a womb and a partial ovary connected to his, you know what, through a fallopian tube," Dirk tried to explain to the deeply confused group of people before him.

"The doctor that seen Dave was the doctor that treated Mama when she was pregnant with him. The doctor said that Mama had a rough first trimester, and said that they weren't able to determine Dave's sex until Mama was about 14 weeks along. Apparently, in a normal pregnancy, a baby develops their 'parts' from between 9 to 11 weeks. He said what he thinks happened was during those 9-11 weeks, so didn't go right and it took longer for Dave's, boy stuff, to grow and form like they should have. In the mean time, the delay allowed partial female organs to grow. Now by the time that Mama was 14 weeks along, Dave's boy parts had finally grown properly, but so had a womb and a partial ovary, that for some hellacious reason or another, got connect to his ass through a fallopian tube," Dirk bluntly continued.

Dirk took a moment to let all the information settle in their friend's heads. It all seemed so surreal, like the plot out of a crazy fiction story. But it was truth, and they say fact is stranger than fiction. But who knew it would be this strange?

Dirk was about to say something, but Mr. Egbert, Dad as Dave and Dirk has referred to him for many years beat him to it,

"Do you know who the baby's 'father' is?"

"It's Noir," John answered, "Jack Noir."

"Jack Noir? You mean the biggest and most vicious loan shark in the state of Texas, Jack Noir?" Mr. Egbert questioned his son being the only one still left in the dark about Dave's deal with Noir.

"What on earth was David doing with the likes of that man?"

"It was all my fault Dad," Dirk admitted, "I borrowed money from Noir to open up the club five years ago. When I couldn't pay him back, Dave went to go see Noir to see if he could work anything out with him. Noir told him that if he 'gave himself' to him, then he would seal the debt, and he done what he felt like he had to do. Dave told me that if he didn't do it then Noir would burn down the club, and he couldn't bare to see my greatest accomplishment go up in flames."

"Little did he know that my greatest accomplishment was raising such an awesome kid," Dirk felt his chest swell with pride as he told the group the of the sacrifice his little man made for his big bro.

Mr. Egbert felt a pride filled smile slowly appear on his face, "That was a very brave thing for David to do. I'm real proud of him son," Mr. Egbert said, addressing Dirk, "I'm sure you are too."

"Thanks Dad, that means alot. He will never know how proud of him I am," Dirk smiled with pride.

* * *

"So what are you two going to do when the baby's born, is he planning on keeping it or..."

"We talked about it and he said he's going to give it up for adoption," Dirk finished for Jane, who couldn't help but ask the obvious question.

"I wanted him to have an abortion, but he said he couldn't kill a child for being conceived the way it was. And then he went on to say what would Mama say if she say either of us killing her first grandchild," Dirk said as he quickly wiped the tear forming in his eye.

"She would kill both of you," Jane smiled.

When she was alive, Cynthia and she would get along real well. Cynthia would often refer to Jane as her daughter in-law; and Jane recalled this one occasion where Cynthia asked both of them how soon she could be expecting her first grandchild after they got married. It was horrifyingly funny to the two teenagers then, and down right hysterical now.

Jane almost felt disappointed that she wasn't going to be the one giving Cynthia her beloved first grandchild. But doesn't mean that she can't be there to help raise it, right? Who knows, maybe by the time the baby is born, Dave will decide to keep it; and she could help raise it, like Cynthia would want.

'What are you thinking Jane?' Jane mentally slapped herself in the face, 'This is Dave's baby, this is his choice! If he chooses to give it up, that is his decision, not yours.'

"Yeah, she would," Dirk said, smirking alittle at the thought of mother beating him senseless with a rolling pin for even considering the idea.

* * *

"Dirk, son, I want to let you know that I am here to help you and David anyway we can; and if either of you need anything, anything at all, please let me know," Mr. Egbert informed Dirk.

"Well all are," Jane finished as she made her way over toward Dirk and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug.

The rest following suit.

Dirk could only smile at the support his beloved family of friends offered.

"Thanks you guys, that means alot to us. We'll certainly need all the help we can get," Dirk thanked them and hugged each one in return.

"Did the doctor say when he's going to be released?" Mr. Egbert asked before gathering up the kids to get ready to go home.

"Yeah, he said they were just gonna keep him over night for observation. They should let him go sometime tomorrow," Dirk said, removing his hat and ran a hand through his matted hair before placing the cap back on his head.

"Good, if he feels like it tomorrow, you two come over and we can talk about whatever needs to be taken care of in the mean time," Mr. Egbert said.

"I guarantee ya we probably will," Dirk said, "And thank you, for everything you know."

"The pleasure is all mine son," Mr. Egbert smiled, "Come on John, Jade, we need to get going it is way past you two's bedtime."

"Dad, We are 15 years old, don't you think we're alittle too old for bedtimes?"

"And you will continue to have one until the day you step out of that door for good."

"Yes sir..." John sulked, defeated, while Jade giggled.

"Good night Dirk, we'll see you and David tomorrow," Mr. Egbert said before leaving for the night.

"Night Dad, see ya tomorrow," Dirk replied.

"I need ta get goin' Dirky, it's Friday night and there's a party in meh liquor cabinet that Imma missin' out on," Roxy stammered.

"Oh God," Rose shook her head, "Hey Mr. E! Can I stay with you guys tonight?" Rose ran to catch up with the three now in the lobby.

"Well of course you can Rose...", the now three remaining adults heard Mr. Egbert as Rose caught up with them.

"Well, I suppose I better drive Rox home before she wraps herself around a telephone pole," Jane shook her head.

Before she left she gave the two men left a hug, "By guys, I'll see y'all tomorrow. And Dirk you call me if you or Dave need anything, you got it?"

"Yes ma'am! See you tomorrow, Janey," Dirk said as Jane walked her friend out of the hospital to driver her home.

* * *

"So Dirk are you going to stay here the night or do you need me to drive you home," Jake asked.

"Nah, you go ahead man," Dirk said, concocting something in his head, "There's some loose ends, I gotta tie up."

Even though Jake couldn't read his best friend facial expression, he could still read him like a book.

In the 20 years that two had been friends, Jake had developed the sixth sense to tell when Dirk Strider was up to something. And right now, that sixth sense was ringing like the bells of Notre Dome.

"Dirk what are you up to?" Jake suspiciously asked, crossing his arms, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna go give Noir his final payment," Dirk said, walking out the of the hospital.

"Dirk! No Dirk! Nononononononono, please don't do this! Dirk listen to me, you do not want to do this!" Jake begged his friend as he tried to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

But to no avail, Dirk shrugged him off and walked passed him as if he hadn't has said a word.

Jake follows him to the sidewalk where Dirk flags down a near by cab, trying to talk at least one iota of sense into the man before he went off to seek vengeance on the man who impregnated his beloved baby brother.

"Dirk! For once in your life, will you stop and think before you act?!"

"Oh I put A LOT of thought into this."

Jake grabbed his arm as the cab approached, "What about Dave? What do you think he would do if something were to happen to you because of the stunt you are about to pull."

"He wouldn't be in the situation right now if it weren't for me!" Dirk growled at his friend, snatching his arm back as the cab pulled up.

As Dirk got in the cab, Jake offered him one final warning, "You're going to regret this Dirk, I can feel it."

"This is one encounter with Noir that I won't regret," Dirk said slamming the door to cab shut.

As Jake saw the cab drive off, he quietly whispered to himself, "God, be with that idiot."

* * *

On the other side of town, not far from a shady looking with the neon letters "Jack Black Loans" slowly going out; a man by the name of Noir with a shadier background than the building behind him unsuspectedly walks to his car after a long day of threatening to beat people's faces in if they didn't pay him what they owed.

While another man waits patiently by his soon to be victim's vehicle. Like an angry lion stalking it's prey, the blond haired man waited patiently for the right moment to pounce.

And there it was.

Just as Noir opened the door to his car, the Dirk ran and lunged at his victim.

Before he had time to react, the Dirk slammed the door on the man's head and threw him on the hood of his own car.

The pinned Noir stared into the lenses of all too familiar pointy sunglasses in front of two glowing orange eyes.

Any other man would be pleaded for his life at this moment; no, this one just smirked.

The man that gives the word 'black' a whole new meaning just snorted as he said, "So I take it you didn't like the little agreement I made with that hot piece of ass, huh?"

A very wrong choice of words to say to the man that literally held your life in his massive hands.

"You son of a bitch!" Dirk growled as the fury that pulsed threw his veins ignited.

Once he raised his fist to deliver his first blow, there was no stopping him until he was completed drained out.

The fierce beating the now exhausted blond haired and currently blood splattered man bestowed was nothing short of the word brutal.

Bones were broken, teeth were missing, joints severely dislocated, the shriveled up broken mess on the pavement was clinging onto to the very brink of consciousness.

Dirk had no intention of killing him, he just merely wanted to make Noir wish he had.

The pain was unbearable, excruciating; but with every stubborn ounce of will left in the man's broken body, he hung onto that tiny thread on consciousness.

Dirk, who had so fiercely unleashed every ounce of rage that was coursing through his blood, leaned down to give the man one last message.

"If you ever draw breath near my brother or his baby; the pain you are feeling now, will be nothing in comparison."

With that, Dirk let the man be as he absconded into the darkness, back to the place where he was needed the most.

* * *

In the darkened hospital room, Dave peacefully slept in his bed, with an arm protectively cast over his belly.

The boy slowly shifts in his sleep as he feels extra weight adding onto the bed and feels two strong arms wrap themselves around his small frame.

"Bro?" Dave mumbles in his sleep.

"Shhh, it's okay Little Man, Big Bro's right here and he won't let anything or anyone hurt you or the baby for as long as I live. I'm right here," Dirk protectively whispered as he rested his hand a bruised and bloodied hand on his baby brother's stomach.

* * *

Dirk, you dumb son of bastard, God I just love you so much!

Please, pretty please don't forget to review!

I really like those!:D


	6. Fateful Decisions

You guys, just amaze me!

Seriously you guys, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL so so so freaking much for all the wonderful reviews!

From the very bottom of my heart, thank you so so SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story! Y'all will never know how much it means to me! Just, thank you, thank you, thank you all! I love you all so so freaking much!

Please keep the reviews coming!:)

And to CannibalHolocost, there is no way in the fiery depths of hell that I am going to have Dave's baby killed!

I feel like I should share this with you all.

My family carries the gene that causes a bunch of types of cancers. It's called Lynch Syndrome, and if you have it, you are 80-90 times more likely to develop sometype of cancer than you would if you don't have the gene.

I have been tested for Lynch Syndrome, and I find out the results tomorrow. If I have it, then I have decided not to have children, to spare them from that curse. If I have the gene, and I go on to have children and one of them ends up having it and ends up getting cancer because of it; I don't know how I would be able to live with myself, knowing that I gave my babies a gene that could possibly kill them. I can't bring myself to do it.

I can't, I won't let anything happen to the baby in this story. Because I may not be able to have a healthy baby of my own.

Anyway, here's chapter 6. I know y'all have probably heard me say this before; but I'm going to try and get 2 chapters out this week! I'm going to try REALLY hard!

* * *

Chapter 6: Fateful Decisions

Dirk stirred as he felt the warmth of the sun's rays press against his back as it brought light into the dark hospital room. He groggily shook his head at the soft, stringy sensation just below his nose. He slowly peeked open his eyes and was greeted by platinum blond locks.

"Dave," Dirk quietly smiled as kissed the back of his baby brother's precious head.

He ran a hand through his brother's stringy hair, and the smile soon fades when he noticed the bruises and dried blood on his knuckles.

He begins to start having slight flashbacks from his erratic behavior the night before. His eyes blinded by fury, his face red with anger, his fists beating a man's face into the pavement.

With the flashbacks flooding his mind, a voice rang in his ears, a warning.

'You are going to regret this...,' the tell tale British accent of best friend kept ringing over and over again in his head.

Every time the voice rang, Dirk's own followed.

'Did I do the right thing? Was Jake right? Would I regret it?'

Dirk looked down at the sleeping form beside him and found his answer.

'Oh course I done the right thing? How could I just stand by and let the man who defiled my baby get away?! No, the only thing I regret is leaving that man with a breath of air in his lungs!' Dirk's thoughts raged but quickly subsided when he looked down at his sleeping angel; whose arm was stretched over his occupied belly, protecting the innocent soul inside of him.

Dirk felt a smile make itself at home on his face as he kissed his brother once more on the back of the head. He felt the hand that was resting on his brother's stomach begin to slowly rub up and down, trying to feel the growing life form inside.

It's funny, less than 24 hours ago, he wanted to kill this little, helpless ball of life. And now, he can't possibly imagine doing anything to hurt it. In the back of Dirk's mind, he smiled at the thought of having a little niece or nephew running around their apartment.

He couldn't help but imagine what he, she, it would look like. Would it look like his little man? Would it take after himself? Or, would it be just like their mother?

"Mama," Dirk quietly whispered.

The image of Cynthia holding her new grand baby flooded Dirk's mind. Her gleaming smile, cooing down at the little bundle of joy brought an ear to ear one on Dirk. Honestly, deep down Dirk hoped that the baby would be a girl.

So big Uncle Dirk could protect it, like he had done with Dave. And besides, after two boys, Dirk felt their mother would want a little girl.

Maybe, just maybe they could...

'No, no, no Strider. Get that out of your head right now,' Dirk kept himself from continuing that train of thought.

'The decision has already been made. Dave is going to give this baby up for adoption, to a kind loving family; who will love and protect it as their own. And that'll be the end of that, okay? It'll be the best thing for all of us, including the baby," Dirk tried to convince himself.

The hand that was slowly rubbing up and down Dave's stomach suddenly stopped, causing the boy to stir and awaken from his sleep.

* * *

"Bro?" Dave grunted as his stretched his stiff limbs, before grabbing his shades off the table beside him and putting them in their rightful place.

Dirk quickly threw on a smile for his little bro, "Hey Little Man, how did you sleep?"

"Good," Dave said rolling over onto his back.

Dave looked down at his stomach and frowned as he rested his hand on it.

"Do, do you think the family, that will adopt the baby, will love it? Do you think they will take care of it?" Dave asked.

Dirk stared at him for a moment before answering.

"What? Oh course they will! They'll love it and take care of it as their very own," Dirk reassured his brother as he tilted his head up and looked his dead in the eyes, or lens rather.

"What's the matter Little Man?" Dirk looked at his brother.

Dave let out a slight sigh, "It's nothing, I'm just thinking."

'I hope I'm making the right decision. What if I can't...no you have to Strider. It'll be the best thing, for the baby.'

Dave thanked God he had his shades on, he didn't want his brother to see the little watery drops forming in the corner of his eyes.

'I just hope that whoever gets this baby will love it, as much as I already do.'

Dirk pretty much knew what Dave was thinking about. He was the only person that could read Dave like an open book, with or without his shades on. He was about to say something when there was a knock at the door.

* * *

"Good morning David," the doctor said walking into the room, "How did you sleep?"

"Can't complain," Dave said sitting up as Dirk got off the bed as the doctor took a look at Dave.

"Okay, you seem to be doing well. You're not dehydrated anymore, that's a good sign. That means you can go home today," the doctor said.

"That's great," Dave said, "Now hurry up and take this thing out of my arm so I go..."

"Hold up there cowboy," the doctor said, "There's still somethings we have to go over first."

"There are some dos and don'ts you need to follow by in your first trimester," the doctor continued, "First off, drink plenty of water, keep yourself hydrated so you won't wind up in here again..."

"It's kinda hard to keep yourself hydrated when your puking up just about everything that goes down your throat," Dave sarcastically said.

"I'm going to give you medication for the morning sickness, so don't worry about that," the doctor informed, "now as I was saying, Secondly, it's best if you stay away from cold cuts, deli meats, hotdogs, basically any type of processed meats..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a second doc," Dave blurted out, "you tellin' me that I can't have hotdogs?!"

"You can have them, you just have to cook them thoroughly, until they are steamy. But since you probably won't remember to do that, it'll just be best if you stay away from them at home. But, if you go to like a restaurant or somewhere that serves hotdogs, that should be fine just so long as they are cooked and steamy."

"Now; stay away from unpasteurized foods and drinks. Stay away from sugary drinks like sodas and..."

"Now hold on just minu..."

"Doc you sure you don't want me to go find a roll of duck tape somewhere?" Dirk said holding his hand over Dave's blabbering mouth.

The doctor just laughed.

"No, not yet, but I may need you too," the doctor chuckled.

"You can have some sodas in extreme moderation."

"Define 'some' and 'extreme moderation'," Dave said, managing to slip Dirk's hand away from his mouth.

"Absolutely NO MORE than ONE can a day, and even that is pushing it," the doctor said.

Dave looked extremely irritated and let out a heavy sigh through the nose.

"Fine!" Dave pouted, causing both the doctor and his bro to chuckle a bit.

"It would be best if you stay away from coffee and seafood as well," the doctor said.

"That's fine, I don't eat or drink either."

"And try to refrain from doing any strenuous activity."

"Fine by me," Dave said, "Now I have an excuse to sit on my ass all day," Dave smirked.

"Oh really? What was your excuse before?" Dirk picked.

"Shut up you ass," Dave retorted.

"And by strenuous activity, I mean things like heavy lifting and stuff like that. And you'll want to stay away from chemicals as well," the doctor said.

"Now for the to do list, you're going to need a lot of vitamins and minerals so eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can."

"Yeah that ain't gonna happen," Dave mumbled under his breath.

"David," the doctor replied, "Do I need to get your brother to go find that roll of duck tape?"

"Sorry, I'll shut up."

"Try to eat as healthy as you can," the doctor continued, "and be sure to get plenty of rest. Be sure to do stretches and if possible, try to walk every other day for about 10-15 minutes."

"I suppose I can do all that," Dave said.

"Good," the doctor said, "now I'm going to give you a complete list of all the dos and don'ts so you won't forget. Pin it somewhere you can see it frequently everyday, like the fridge or on the back of your bedroom door. Just be sure to go over it thoroughly."

"And David," the doctor added, "Have you thought anymore about adoption."

* * *

Adoption. God, Dave didn't even want to think about that. Could he really let someone just take his child after he had done carried it for 9 months, or however long, and raise it and just let that be it?

All those first joys that parents get to experience with their little ones, he would miss out on. The baby's first words, first steps, first birthday. They would all have the memories. Him? He wouldn't even have a picture. All those first precious moments, he would never have.

'Maybe, maybe I should, ah who am I kidding!' Dave mentally slapped himself, 'I can't take care of a kid! I would be the worst parent on the face of the earth! I'd ruin both it's life and mine. And besides, Bro would kill me if I decided to keep it'

"David?" the doctor asked, knocking Dave out of his stupor.

"Huh? Yeah, yea I have thought about it more," Dave said.

"And?"

"Yeah," Dave quietly said, "I'm gonna do it."

'It'll be the best thing I could ever do for it."

The doctor could sense Dave's reluctance, but he didn't say anything. It's something that alot of first time single parents consider. About 60% of them actually go through with it. And the doc couldn't tell if Dave was one of those 60% or not. It would be tough, being a single teenaged parent, but he's seen it happen before, with both parent and child thriving. And who knows, maybe Dave could be, would be, one of those success stories.

"Very well then," the doctor cleared his throat, "as I said before, there are dozens of adoption agencies that you can contact, whenever you feel ready. In the meantime, may I recommend getting in touch with the baby's father, I mean uh, sperm donor, if you know him, and tell him your plans of putting the baby up for adoption. I recommend..."

"NO!" Dave yelled out, "I mean no," Dave brought the frequency of his voice back to indoor levels, "Me and the baby's, whatever, aren't on speaking terms," Dave gripped the bed sheet at just the thought of Noir EVER finding out about his child.

If Noir were to ever find out,

'He'll kill both me and the baby if he ever found out. No, I can't let that happen! Noir can NEVER find out!'

The doctor wasn't surprised at Dave's reaction. He knew it was going to be hard being a pregnant teenager in the state of Texas, much less a pregnant MALE teenager. He could definitely see why he wouldn't want anyone else finding out about his pregnancy.

"Very well then," the doctor said, "I'm going to write you a prescription for the morning sickness and I'm scheduling your next appointment for the 23rd. You should be about 2 months along then."

* * *

"And you are good to go," the doctor said, handing Dave the prescription.

"Thank you doctor," Dave said.

"Thanks doc," Dirk said, handing the release form back to the doctor.

"My pleasure," the doctor said, "See you two in a couple of weeks, and David keep up with that list, you hear?"

"Will do doc," Dave said, playing in his wheelchair he was in.

Dirk quickly grabbed ahold of the handles before the boy flipped himself over.

"Quit before you hurt yourself or the baby," Dirk got onto Dave.

"You can't be reckless anymore, you have to watch out for the baby," Dirk's protective instinct kicked in.

He just didn't have his little man to look after and protect anymore, he now had two babies he had to protect at all costs.

When the doctor told Dave that he should contact the baby's father, Dirk broke out in a cold sweat.

Last night, after he paid that fateful visit to Noir, he said something he shouldn't have said.

'If you ever draw breath near my brother or his baby; the pain you are feeling now, will be nothing in comparison.'

Those words rang in his ears like a glass shattering screech. And he felt his world shatter and crumble at his feet.

What had he done? By opening his big mouth, could he have put his brother and his unborn child at risk?

'No, no no no no no no oh God no! What have I done?! How could I have been so stupid?!' Dirk's thoughts screamed as he mentally slapped himself over a dozen times.

'I can't, I can't let anything happen to my little man, or the baby. I will never forgive myself if I ever let anything happen to them. I must protect them, at all costs!', Dirk told himself, looking down at his little bro, sitting in his wheelchair as the nurse took them to the front of the hospital.

Dirk had called Jake to come pick them up, being that they had no other way of going, and they waited for him up front.

As Dirk saw Jake's green Landrover pull up, he could already hear his best friend tell him that he is stupidest bastard alive once he tells him what all he done last night. And he couldn't help but agree with him.

Jake always told him his big mouth was going to get him into real trouble one day. He just didn't think it may cost him the two most important things in his life.


	7. Support All Around

Insert freaking longest chapter ever!

Holy crap, I had no idea how long this chapter was! Believe it or not, this chapter and Chapter 6 were supposed to be together. Good thing I decided to seperate them.

Anyway, seriously you guys; THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOO FREAKING MUCH FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, SO SO SO SOOOOO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO NOT ONLY FAVORITED AND SUBSCRIBED TO THIS STORY, BUT WHO HAVE ALSO SUBSCIRBED TO ME AS WELL!

You guys will never know this much all this support means to me!

From the very bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I love each and everyone of you so FREAKING MUCH!

And please don't forget to review:)!

* * *

Chapter 7: Support All Around

As Jake pulled up beside the awaiting pair, Dirk opened up the door on the passenger's side and helped his little brother into the SUV.

"Bro, I can do this myself," Dave said to his older brother, a bit annoyed at his overprotectiveness.

"I just don't want you to fall and get hurt," Dirk told his brother, causing Dave to roll his eyes. The vehicle was barely two feet off the ground, and it had a step. How could he possibly fall and get hurt?

Dirk knew Dave probably wouldn't fall and get hurt trying to climb into his friend's SUV. Normally Dirk would laugh when his brother would do something clumsy, like fall or trip, just so long as he wasn't hurt. But now with the baby, Dirk wouldn't risk his brother getting so much as scratch, not on his watch at least. He already had too much on his plate to worry about, he didn't need to add Dave falling and hurting himself or the baby to that.

"Hey man, thanks for picking us up," Dirk said to his best friend as he climbed in shotgun.

"Don't think absolutely nothing of it, my good man," Jake replied with his usual British toothy grin.

But that grin soon fades when he notices his friend's still bruised and slightly less bloody knuckles.

'Strider, you stupid...What did you do?' the Britain mentally face palmed.

And the look Jake gave his best friend said just that.

Dirk didn't say anything, he just rubbed his brow; which over the years, Jake has come to learn that the Strider way of saying, 'I'll tell you later'.

Jake just shook his head slightly and sighed heavily through his nose and dropped the subject, for now.

Jake adjusted the rear view to and smirked alittle bit when he saw Dave looking out the window, with his arm draped over his stomach.

"How are you feeling this morning, Little Man?" Jake asked.

"Good," Dave replied, "A little tired but good."

"That's good," Jake said, "You'll have a bit more energy after lunch. Mr. Egbert cooked a feast."

The thought of a delicious home cooked meal made Dave's stomach furiously growl.

"Well put the petal to metal English! My stomach is about to feast on my backside over here," Dave retorted.

The sound of Dave's stomach getting ready to tear through his abdomen, made the two adults in the front seats chuckle.

"Hold your horses, kiddo. We'll be there in a minute," Dirk told a rather impatient Dave.

* * *

That minute couldn't come fast enough to the starving teen in the backseat. He hadn't had anything to eat since dinner at the Egbert's last night, which promptly exited his body when he found out about the little bungle of joy brewing in his belly. And that was well over 12 hours ago.

When the vehicle finally came to fault in the Egbert's driveway, Dave didn't hesitate to fly out of the SUV and run as fast as he could up to the front door. Completely ignoring his brother's calls for him to wait on them.

By the time that two adults made it the door, Dave had already gave the door a serious beating.

"Didn't I tell you to wait on us?" Dirk said as he grabbed his brother's shoulder, pulling him back from the door.

"Sorry Bro, wait is not in my vocabulary," Dave said as he heard foot steps approaching from behind the door.

"Dave Strider, I ought to have known that was you," Rose said as she opened the door to greet the perpetrator responsible for nearly beating down the front door.

"Where's the food?" Dave bluntly said, barging in through the doorway without so much as hello to his friend.

"Well hello to you too," Rose retorted as she watched her friend make a B-Line to the kitchen.

Jake and Dirk just shook their heads as they entered into the house.

"Don't feel bad Rose, you should have seen him when the doctor told him he couldn't have any more sodas," Dirk said.

"Oh God, that poor doctor," Rose smirked as she and two adults behind her walked into the kitchen.

There they saw Dave helping himself to a hapless basket of freshly baked rolls on the kitchen counter.

"Dave don't eat all those, somebody else might want some too," Dirk said as he witnessed his little brother shove his third or fourth roll into his mouth.

"Don't worry Dirk, there's plenty more where that came from," Jane said, pulling a tray of piping hot rolls out of the oven, "Dave sweetie, lunch will be ready in just a minute. Don't fill up on too many rolls."

Dave's head lifted up and watched as Mr. Egbert walked from the kitchen to the dining room with a huge plate of ham. He quickly abandoned the basket of rolls, saying, "You won't have to worry about that Jane," as he followed Mr. Egbert into the dining room.

"Poor boy must be starving," Jane laughed and shook her head, "So how has y'alls morning been?"

Dirk just shook his head and lifted up his hat and ran a hand through his hair, "Busy. When the doctor told him all things he he could and couldn't do, I thought I was gonna have to go hunt down a roll of duck tape."

Both Jake and Jane just laughed and shook their heads, completely believing everything their friend just told them.

"And then he almost gave me heart attack when he was doing wheelies in his wheelchair and almost flipped over," Dirk said, "I told him you can't be doing crap like that anymore, that he hand to watch out for the baby."

"That reminds me," Jane said, "Mr. Egbert wanted us to all talk about we're all gonna do, with the baby coming. How are we gonna keep this, 'under the radar', so to speak. I mean it's not everyday you hear about a pregnant male teenager."

"Shit," Dirk said, "I hadn't even thought about how we're going to pull that off. I'm glad somebody was."

"That's what friends are for Dirk," Jane said as she refilled the roll basket and carried it into the dining room, her two friends following right behind her.

* * *

"Alright everyone, lunch is served," Mr. Egbert announced as Jane sat the basket on the table.

Everyone then took their places at the table.

Mr. Egbert sat at the head of the table.

Jane sat to his left and Jake sat to his right.

Dirk, Dave, and Jade sat on Jane's side. And Roxy, Rose, and John sat on Jake's side. In that order.

"Alrighty, everyone dig in," Mr. Egbert said.

And everyone done as they were told.

After everything was passed around; Dave had ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato soufflé, corn, and due to a combination of weird cravings and his brother just shoving stuff on his plate, peas and carrots.

As Dave feasted on his stacked high plate, he couldn't help but over hear the snickering coming from his three nearest and dearest friends.

"Alright," Dave said, pulling out his iPhone to the timer, "You three have 60 seconds. Go."

"Geez Dave, are you feeding an army? How many do you have in there?" Rose went first.

5 seconds.

"Well what do you know Dave, it looks like Bec was trying to warn us about your alien baby after all," the next one came from John.

"Oh hey Dave, I know how you can hide the pregnancy. When you get bigger, all you have to do is put on a fake pair of boobs and maybe grow your hair out alittle. People have already mistaken you for a girl before, you should fit right in," Rose less than jokingly said.

"Go to hell Lalonde," Dave retorted.

"Ladies first," Rose replied.

This sent the table rolling in light laughter.

Dave just sat back in his chair and pouted, "Well I suppose I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Alright, y'all got 15 seconds left. Anyone else?" Dave said looking down at his phone.

"Ah, come on Dave. Don't you see the irony in all this?" Jade finally spoke, "I mean in this relationship, who would have thought that you would be the one getting pregnant."

That light laughter around the table, now erupted in a roaring laughter that lasted a good minute and a half.

Dave sat there in his chair trying to hold back his laughter, even he had to admit it, that was a good one. His girl had spunk, makes him so proud.

Now that you think of it, this whole situation is right up his ironic alley, ironically and quite literally.

"Alright, alright, you've had your fill, now get it out of your system and...Egbert, what the hell are you giggling about?" Dave said as he looked across the table and saw John giggling like an idiot.

"It's going to be in your system for 9 months," John laughed.

Yeah, this wasn't gonna stop anytime soon.

Dave retorted by throwing a roll at his friend's face.

John was about to throw it back, along with a few other things, when Mr. Egbert felt like it was time to intervene.

"Alright you two, cut it out," Mr. Egbert calmly stated, "Do I need to put you two in a corner?"

The corner had always been Mr. Egbert's form of punishment. When they were little, and they would act up or fight, Mr. Egbert would put them in the corner. Even though it had been years since they both had to spend time in the corner, both boys knew Mr. Egbert wasn't joking and quickly calmed down.

"No sir," both boys quietly said.

"Good," Mr. Egbert said, "You two can fight after the baby's born," Mr. Egbert smirked before quickly putting back on his serious face, "But in the meantime, we all need to seriously have a talk about what all we need to do. For David's sake, we need to keep this under raps as best we can."

"Any ideas?"

* * *

"That joke that Rose made about Dave dressing up like a girl when he gets bigger, is actually not that bad of an idea," Jane said.

"You're kidding right?" Dave asked.

"No I'm not kidding. Listen Dave, what do you think people will say, let alone do, when they see a pregnant teenaged boy walking around. They'll freak out, call a news station somewhere and you'll be on every news channel in the state," Jane stated, "However, since you're not exactly the most, masculine teenaged boy; when you get bigger, you'll be easy to pass off as just as another pregnant teenaged girl. That way, no one will know."

"You know Janey," Dirk spoke up, "That's not a bad idea."

Dirk couldn't believe what he was actually saying, but that actually made sense. I mean when Dave was little, people used to think he was girl all the time. When Dave was 3, one woman even had the nerve to ask him why he dressed such a pretty little 'girl' up in boy clothes.

So needless to say, when you really think about it, that crazy idea doesn't sound so crazy after all. There was just one thing wrong with that idea.

"What about school though?" Dirk asked, "What are we gonna do when he starts showing?"

"Oh, I know!" Roxy blurted out, surprisingly sober, "You could get him enrolled in the homeschool program that Rose is in. It'll be better than sending him to school and risk him being detected. The tuition is not that expensive, the curriculum is great, and it's flexible so he can do it whenever is best for him."

"Lalonde," Dirk said, "That is the smartest things that has come out of your mouth since you told us that started taking birth control in the summer of '98. That is a great idea! We'll definitely do that!"

"Hey, I still have some brain cells left," Roxy said, ending her sobriety by chugging back a bottle Vodka.

"There goes the rest of them," Rose mumbled underneath her breath.

* * *

"David, what all did the doctor say as far as your diet goes?" Mr. Egbert asked as they finished their lunch.

"He told me a whole bunch of crap about what I can and cannot eat," Dave said, getting the list out from his pocket, "He even gave me a list," Dave said passing the list to Mr. Egbert.

"Well David, this list seems very reasonable," Mr. Egbert said, looking over the list, "Dirk, I'll have to teach you how to prepare all these foods that David will need for the baby."

"Oh Mr. Egbert, there's no need to do that," Jane spoke up, "If it's alright with you Dirk, I'd like to be able to do all of the cooking at y'alls house. My grandmother has a cookbook specifically for pregnancies, and I'd love to get to try it out. And besides, I could stay on Dave with his homeschooling," Jane smiled.

"That's very thoughtful of you Jane," Mr. Egbert said.

"Jane, are you sure?" Dirk asks her, "You don't have to do this. I can borrow one of Mr. Egbert's cookbooks. And I'll be at home most of the day, I can make sure Dave does his schoolwork."

"I know I don't have to, I want to do it!" Jane told her friend, "And Dirk honey, no offense, but you aren't exactly the greatest motivator when it comes to getting things done."

Dirk had to admit, she did have a point there, he wasn't the most motivating person when it comes to getting school work done. In fact, his motto in high school was, 'If it can be done today, it can wait until tomorrow.' How he passed all of his classes was completely beyond him.

And Jane, she could get stuff done. If she couldn't do it herself, she will motivate you to do it. Maybe this is what Dave needs?

"And when you go to work, I could stay over and watch out for Dave," Jane added.

Sold.

Dirk's mind was made up instantaneously. What if Dave fell or something while he was at work and got hurt? Or worse, what if Noir decided to come after Dave while he was out? Nope, not gonna happen under his watch. If anyone tries to come after both of his babies while he's gone, they'll be answering to Jane and her gun.

"Ms. Crocker, you have a deal," Dirk said holding out his hand.

But instead of shaking his hand, Jane threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you Dirk!" Jane said, hugging the life out of her friend.

This meant much more to her than Dirk realized.

Even though Jane really did want to help to Dave and Dirk through the pregnancy, she had something else in mind as well.

With Jane now being able to be around Dave, maybe, just maybe she can slowly convince him to consider keeping the baby. She didn't want to see that baby go into a crumby orphanage, and may never even be adopted, and live it's life thinking that it has no family and no one will ever love it.

Not when there is family right here that loves it already.

Jane has known Dirk her entire life, and by now, she could read him like a book. Even with his iconic shades on. And she could tell he really didn't want to give up the baby. She knew that he knew what their mother would want, for them to raise it, as a family.

'Maybe, if I could get Dirk to realize, just how bad he wants to keep this baby, maybe it'll be that much easier to convince Dave,' Jane thought.

"Is that okay with you Little Man? That Jane help you with your schoolwork and stay with you at night while I work?" Dirk asked Dave when Jane finally let go of him.

"Yeah, cool. That's fine with me," Dave said.

"Thank you sweet heart!" Jane leaned down and gave the boy a light, big hug.

'Dave needs a mother through this. Dirk, bless his heart, he does his best. But sometimes you just need a mother's touch. I just hope I could be as good a mother to him as Cynthia would be," Jane's thoughts continued as she let go of the boy.

"Hey Jane, you alright?" Dave asked, noticing little tear drops forming in Jane's eyes.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine sweetie. I just got something in my eye," Jane said, quickly wiping the stay tears from her eyes, "I need to go help Mr. Egbert with the dishes," Jane said getting up as she began helping Mr. Egbert gather up all the dirty dishes from the table.

* * *

"Dad, lunch was great!" Dirk said to Mr. Egbert, "And I hate to eat and run, but Dave is getting pretty tired," Dirk looked over at Dave, who was nearly passed out on the couch from his food coma.

"Why thank you son," Mr. Egbert said, putting up the last of the dishes, "And don't worry about a thing! When my wife was pregnant, God rest her soul, she would eat and pass out 30 minutes later."

"If there is anything, ANYTHING, you or David need, just let me know!" Mr. Egbert added.

He thought of both Strider brothers as his sons, and he would do anything he could for either of them. Especially now with a baby on the way.

"Thank you Dad, we greatly appreciate that," Dirk said.

"Come on squirt, ya ready to go?" Dirk gently shook Dave awake.

"Yeah, yeah," Dave quietly said as he slowly got up off the couch.

"Bye Dad, thank you for having us! Lunch was great!" Dave said to Mr. Egbert.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it David," Mr. Egbert smiled, "If you need anything, just call me or John okay?"

"Thanks Dad, I will," Dave told Mr. Egbert as he walked out the door and followed his brother and Jane to her car, as Dirk's was still at the club.

* * *

Before the three got into the vehicle, the three were stopped by a British accent, "Hey Strider! Could you spare a moment to speak to a friend?" Jake called out from his Land Rover.

"Let me go see what he wants," Dirk told Jane and Dave as they got into the car.

"I suppose you want to know about last night?" Dirk asked his best friend and colleague.

"Strider, what did you do?" Jake asked, noting the bruises on his knuckles.

Dirk clinched his fists, "I done what I should have done all along."

"I didn't kill him, I just made him wish he was dead," Dirk said, looking down at his bruised knuckles.

"Dirk Strider," Jake shook his head, "You have got to be the stupidest bastard that has ever shart between two shoes! You know that?!" Jake told his friend.

Dirk let out a loud sigh, "Tell me something I don't already know."

Dirk didn't tell him, what he had told to Noir; he would have just been adding further insult to injury.

Jake English has known Dirk Strider since they were thirteen years old when he was just a foreign exchange student from London. The two quickly became best friends. When Jake's family finally moved to Houston for Jake's high school years, the two were inseparable. Dirk even went with them to visit Jake's grandfather in Australia over one holiday.

And over the years, Dirk and Jake had done some pretty stupid stuff together. Jake had seen Dirk do some pretty stupid stuff. But of all the stupid things that Dirk Strider has pulled over the years, this single handedly takes the cake.

Jake knew of Noir's notorious rap sheet for coming after anyone who crossed him. And Jake was deeply afraid that this stunt would deeply cost him. If not his life, than the life of his beloved brother and his unborn baby.

And he wasn't about to let that happen, to either of them.

Jake reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a fully loaded 9mm handgun and handed it to his best friend.

"I know how much you love your swords, but this might come in handy," Jake said.

Dirk knew what he was trying to say and took the gun and stuffed it into the pants, before engulfing his best friend in a gracious bear hug.

"Thank you man! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Jake just smiles and returns the hug.

"Use it when you need to," Jake said as Dirk let go of him.

Before Dirk turned and left, Jake told him other thing.

"Hey, take the week off. You look like you have a bunch of stuff to take care of," Jake told his friend.

"Thanks man," Dirk said with his classic Strider smirk and walked back to Jane's awaiting car.

* * *

"What was that about?" Jane asked as they drove off.

"English gave me the week off," Dirk replied, choosing not to tell her of the gun right now.

"That was nice of him," Jane said.

"Yeah," Dirk tried not to sound preoccupied.

Even though Jake was always right about certain things about 90% of the time, Dirk prayed to God he wasn't this time.

And he really hoped he never had to use the weapon tucked in between his pants and his hip. But it was to protect his little man and the baby.

And whoever decided to mess with either of them, better pray to God that they weren't on the wrong end of this gun.


	8. One Day At A Time

I know it's a short chapter you guys, but it will really help get the ball rolling here!

And anyway, first of all, I would like to thank my total super special awesome friend, HomestuckVS, for helping me out with this chapter! Thank you so much for being there and giving me every ounce of encouragement you have given me thus far! Biggest freaking abrazo, EVER!:D :D :D

And that goes for all of you too! I love you all so much and y'all will never know how much it means to me when someone drops in a review, or favorites or subscribes to not only to this story, or any of my stories, but to me! I can never possibly thank y'all enough for all the support you've shown me! From the very bottom of my heart, mind and soul, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOO MUCH!

GIVE ALL THE ABRAZOS! (Abrazos means hugs in Spanish, btw:D)

And please, don't forget to review:D!

* * *

Chapter 8: One Day At A Time...

On the ride back to the Strider's apartment, Jane kept sneaking an occasional glance out the corner of her eye at Dirk. Try as he might, Jane could tell his mind was preoccupied. She could read it in his body language. He kept his chin perched on his thumb, like he was lost in thought or something. And every time a car would pull behind them, he would whip his head around to get a look at the vehicle, like he was worried it was following them or something.

There was definitely something going on that he wasn't telling her, and she if she was going to be helping them she needed to find out what it was soon.

* * *

As she parked her car in the apartment's parking garage, Dirk got out first and looked around to see if there was anyone suspicious around before getting his little brother out of the car.

When he didn't see another soul lingering about, other than Jane giving him weird looks, he extracted his two very reasons to live out of the vehicle.

"You got your medicine Little Man," Dirk asked, lifting up Dave's half asleep body.

"Yeah, it's all right here," Dave groggily said, lifting up the bag in his hand as he buried his sleepy head into his brother's strong shoulder.

Car rides always made Dave sleepy. That was always Dirk's cure when Dave wouldn't go to sleep when he was really little; he'd take him for a ride in the car. Sometimes Dirk would have to drive around the block for what seemed like an hour, but it always worked.

And now every time Dave rides in the car for over 30 minutes, he catches himself nodding off. Sure, it didn't take 30 minutes to get from the Egbert's to the apartment; but it feels like it when you have a full stomach and a life form inside of you sucking up ever last spare ounce of energy you have left. By the time Jane pulled into their space, he was almost to la-la land.

Dirk smiled as he looked down at the sight of little brother with his freckle sprinkled cheek pressed up against his shoulder, his shades astrew on his face. Dirk kissed the top of his forehead as they entered in the elevator.

As if Dirk's behavior on the ride home wasn't weird enough to Jane, his behavior when they parked was even stranger. Before he got Dave out of the car, he kept looking around, as if trying to see if anyone was watching, or following, them.

In her going on 10 years in the FBI, she has seen this behavior before, many times. And alot of those times, that behavior was expressed by either criminals on the run, or someone that saw something they shouldn't have.

Jane had no idea what was going on in the mind of dear friend, but she prayed to God, for Dave's and the baby's sake, that for whatever reason Dirk wasn't either one of those.

The ride up to the Strider's floor was quiet as the two adults in the elevator didn't utter a word to each other, other than the occasional smile when one caught a glance at the other.

When the three finally made it to the door of the Strider apartment, Dirk told Jane, "I'm going to go lay him down," as he opened the door and made a B-Line to his brother's bedroom.

Jane simply nodded in reply.

As Dirk made it into his brother's room, he gently laid his baby brother on his bed and removed his shoes before tucking him in tightly.

He took the bag of medicine the doctor gave him and put it on his nightstand, as a reminder to medicate when he wakes up. And he tightly closed the curtains in his room, so no intruding light, or prying eyes, could come in.

Before he exited the room, he gave his brother another kiss on the forehead and smiled as he gave him a quick rub on his stuffed belly.

"Night...you two," Dirk quietly said as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

When Dirk walked back into the living room, Jane was waiting for him on the futon.

"Is he asleep?" Jane asked as her friend took the seat beside her on the couch.

"Yeah," Dirk said, putting his hand on his hip, where the gun was located.

Dirk thought for a moment, how he would explain everything to Jane. After a moment of thinking, he thought it was just best to go head and come out with it.

Jane looked over at Dirk, who seemed to be lost in thought at the moment. He had his hand over toward the right on his hip, like he was either trying to conceal or reveal something that he had hidden.

'Could that be the reason why he's been acting so strange?' Jane couldn't help but ask herself.

'It's now or never,' the two thought as they turned toward each other.

"Dirk." "Jane."

"You go ahead," Jane politely said.

"There, there's something I gotta tell you, or show you rather," Dirk said as he pulled out the gun that was secure on his hip.

Jane threw her hands over her mouth in shock. In that moment, Jane thought her worse fear had come true.

'Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! He's killed someone!'

"Before you freak out," Dirk said placing the gun on the coffee table, "no I didn't kill anybody."

'Although I should have,' Dirk thought.

The news came as a relief to shocked Jane, but that just raised more questions than it answered.

Why did Dirk Strider, lover of all sharp and pointy objects, have a gun in the first place?

"When I was talking with English, he gave me this gun," Dirk took a breath, "for protection."

"Last night, after all y'all had done left," Dirk continued, "I paid a visit to Noir. I didn't kill him, I just like to think I made him wish he was dead."

Jane couldn't believe what she just heard. Yes, she knew Dirk Strider was prone to do stupid things on impulse, but not that stupid. In all of years and many adventures with Dirk over the years, she could not possibly believe he would do something so reckless and foolish; especially when it involves Dave.

Jane knew Dirk would never do anything to intentionally put Dave in any sort of danger, but his actions may have done just that.

Now Jane is never the one to act on impulses, but was not one of those times.

Upon hearing what her friend just admitted, Jane impulsively raised her hand and slapped Dirk across the face, and hard. Someone had finally knock some sense into the blond. She just wished she had done it 24 hours ago.

When the moment pasted, she threw her hands over her mouth in shock of what she had just done.

"Oh my God, Dirk! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!' Jane instantly apologized.

All Dirk could do was laugh and say, "It's okay Janey. I needed some sense knocked into me," Dirk said rubbing the stinging side of his face, "I just wished somebody had done it 24 hours ago."

Jane giggled a little, "I'm surprised Jake didn't do it for me."

"Nah," Dirk said, "He just shook his head and told me I was the stupidest bastard that ever 'shart between two shoes'."

Both Dirk and Jane laughed at their friend's crazy British sayings. Whenever they all were in high school, they would get Jake riled up on something, anything, just to hear his british accent go 90 to nothing. Dirk often told them at Jake's wild British rants were the reason why the voice recorder was invented.

* * *

After the two laughed offed the idea of their near and dear friend going into another one of his rants, the room becomes quiet for a moment.

Until Jane asks the inevitable.

"So what are we going to do?" Jane asks with genuine concern in her voice, "We're not going to be able to keep something like this a secret for too long?"

'Crap,' Dirk hadn't thought about any of that.

Sure, at the Egbert's, they were all just joking. But this is serious stuff.

How were they going to pull this off? Sure, Dirk could pull Dave out of school. But what about their monthly period with the social worker?

I mean she almost written up Dirk for not taking Dave to the doctor when he was puking his guts out (on a particular visit); what was she gonna do when she saw Dave's stomach was sticking out like a basketball?

She's have him sent off and boom, front page news all over the country.

"And what about when he goes to deliver the baby? What do we do, just show up at the hospital with a pregnant male teenager and say 'Hey, we need to have a C-Section over here.' They're not gonna fall for that, they're gonna find out," Jane continued.

That was another thing that slipped away from the mind of Dirk Strider. How on earth were they going to deliver this baby without the feds finding out? And Jane did prove a good point; it's not like they could just show up at a hospital and say they needed to have a C-Section on a pregnant teenager and them not find out.

They could do a home delivery, but that was a long shot. I mean who would be willing to do an emergency operation on a pregnant teenager outsider of a hospital? Maybe Dave's doctor could help them out with that?

And Dirk didn't want to think about what they would do about a birth certificate.

As if he didn't have enough on his mind already, Jane had one more thing to bring up.

"And what about Noir?" Jane asked, "You say you didn't kill him, right? What are we going to do if he shows up? What if he tries to see Dave, or the baby?"

Suddenly, the blood from Jane's face drained and her skin looked white as snow, "Dirk, what if he tries to take Dave or the baby..."

"Sshhhh, don't say another word," Dirk said, placing a finger over Jane's mouth.

That is one thing Dirk has thought alot about.

Dirk already knew they do if Noir just decided to showed up one day and tried to see Dave or the baby; or, God forbid, try to hurt either one of them. If Noir so much as looked at Dave or the baby, Dirk would tear the man apart, limb by limb. He would put that gun Jake gave him, and a few of his swords, to good use.

"I," Dirk took a deep breath, "I don't know what we're going to do down the road from now. We're just going to have to take it one day at a time," Dirk said as he looked into Jane's crystal blue eyes.

"But I do know this," Dirk continued, "if you so much as get a glimpse of Noir breathing in the same direction as my little man, you blow his head clean off of his shoulders. You got that?"

Oh Jane had no problem catching that. Like Dirk, that was something she wanted to do a long time ago. And if Noir was so blond, or stupid, enough to come anywhere remotely near Dave, she had absolutely no problem in doing so.

"Aye aye captain," Jane gave a two finger solute.

"That's my girl," Dirk said.

The two smiled at one another as they looked into each other's eyes, slowly they leaned in and pulled one another into a kiss.

That kiss soon evolved into a full blown make out session and before either of them knew it; Dirk was searching through his wallet looking for the one thing that would keep Dave from becoming an uncle before the night was over with.

* * *

Just some fluff for all you Dirk/Jane fans out there.

Who knew that talk of murdering someone would be so romantic!


	9. First Visit & Still Alot of Questions

You guys, seriously, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO SO SO FREAKING MUCH to everyone who reviewed, favorited and subscribed to this story! You guys will never know how much that means to me! I just want to let you all know that I love each and everyone of you so FREAKING MUCH!

You guys are just so awesome and y'all rock so much!

Please keep the reviews coming:)!

* * *

Chapter 9: First Visit & Still Alot of Questions

Dave looked at the calendar he had pinned up in his room; or more specifically a date that was circled red on the calendar he had pinned in his room. That date was tomorrow and it would be his first visit to the doctor since, he found out.

Even though his face didn't show it, his heart raced with anticipation for this date. He had been anxious about it for quite some time. He's had lots of questions, or concerns rather, for the doctor.

Was he doing everything right, for the baby that is? Was it okay? Was he eating the right, or enough of the right, foods? Did he need to do anything differently, as far as his and the baby's health was concerned?

Every time he tripped and fell or bumped into something, his bro nearly lays a gold brick. He'd give him the talk of how he needed to be more careful, that he had a baby growing inside of him to think about.

Dave would play it off all cool, reassuring his bro that he was fine, but honestly it scared him too whenever he would be clumsy and fall or bump into something. He couldn't bear the thought of doing anything to hurt the baby slowly growing inside of him.

That's why he was so anxious about going to the doctor the next day. He had been particularly clumsy this past week, he bumped into the table three times and tripped going down the hallway. And if it weren't for him quickly grabbing onto the wall, he would have fell.

Dave looked down at his now semi-flat tummy as he sat down on his bed. He had a tiny little baby bulge going on. It was BARELY noticeable. And if just anyone took a good look at Dave, they probably wouldn't notice anything was out of the ordinary. But Jade noticed it all right, and she thought it was the cutest thing since she discovered kittens on the internet. Every time Dave and her were together, she couldn't keep her hands off his belly. She was excited about the baby. They all were, in their own way.

And as bad as he hated to admit it, Dave was excited too. About his appointment tomorrow that is.

If everything was okay, they'll most likely be able to see the baby through an ultrasound for the first time, and get to hear it's little heart beat.

Dave put his hands on his stomach, almost trying to feel the beat for himself before anyone else had the chance.

Dave felt a faint smile creep up on his face as he rubbed his hands over his belly. But, that smile soon fades as he ponders the questions he's been asking himself for a while now?

'Should I do it?' Dave asked himself, 'Should I keep the baby?'

Dave laid down on his bed and stared up into space, almost trying to envision himself raising the child.

He started picturing all the horrors of being a parent. 3 am wake ups, stinky diapers up to his neck, the crying and screaming all the time!

But then again, he imagined all the joys of being a parent. The baby's first smile, first words, first steps, first day of school. All that, he would miss out on if he decides to...

'Oh what on earth am I going to do if I keep it?!' Dave mentally screamed at himself.

'But what am I going to do if I can't give it?' Dave sighed as that mental coin flipped.

All the "what ifs" and "should Is" were making his head spin. And if this kept on going like it was, Dave was certain his head would roll right off his shoulders. He needed to talk to someone, get this thing off his chest.

And he knew just who to do it.

* * *

*Ring...Ring...Ring...*

"Hola," John answered his phone, practicing his Spanish.

"¡Hola Egberto! ¿Como estás?" Dave decided to play along.

"Yeah, I haven't got that far?" John gave up, "Man I am so screwed on that upcoming test! You do not know how lucky you are! With your 'getting-home-schooled-self' and being spared the agony of Ms. B's Spanish class!"

Dave chuckled as he heard his best friend rant over the phone, "I'm telling ya man. Lalonde has something with this home schooling gig. I get up whenever I want, I do my school work whenever I want. And when I get tired, I just go take a nap. While you're right in the middle of Ms. B's Spanish Inquisition."

"Hahaha...you lucky prick," John retorted, "You're sitting back and relaxing, while my brain is being tortured!"

"Heh," Dave said sitting up on his bed, rubbing his back, "I don't know about the relaxing part, but I've certainly been sitting back."

He repositioned himself to the head of his bed.

"That reminds me, how have you been these past two week?" John asked.

Dave ran a hand through his hair, recalling all the events of these past two weeks, since Jane has basically been living with them.

"Everything's going great man!" Dave honestly could say.

Things at the Strider household have taken a turn, for the better.

That first Monday, Dirk went down to the school and told a little white lie about Dave being continually sick and having to be put on a home study program for the time being. He sighed all the paper work, got his transcripts and when he got home, enrolled Dave in that home school that Roxy had Rose in. The tuition wasn't bad and Dave did get his school work done, on his own time.

Dirk and Jane have worked out this system.

Jane would come and live with them. She would go her work at the FBI Headquarters in Houston. Dirk would stay home with Dave. Then Jane would come home and cook dinner. And then when Dirk would go to work. And then Jane would take care of Dave and make sure he done his school work.

This system was very effective, for all parties.

Dirk didn't have to worry about Dave being left at home alone at nights, and be on a silver platter for Noir; and he was able to spend real quality time with his little bro. He could watch out for his little brother and make sure he didn't get into anything. And he didn't have to worry about any unwanted eyes finding out about their little 'dilemma'. Dirk had made sure to keep Dave in the house as much as he could. But when going out couldn't be avoided, Dirk made sure Dave was right up under him.

Jane was able to perform her motherly duties and look out for Dave, and the baby, while keeping a low profile and dropping subliminal hints to both of them; and she was also doing a pretty good job at getting Dave to do his school work. She told Dave that since he liked to stay up late that he could do his school work at night. And it was proving to be very effective. He made an A on his last math test.

And Dave, well he was just laying back and trying his best to obey ALL the doctor's orders. Trying, but temptation is oh so powerful. Yesterday, he drank the last of his contraband sode he has hid in his room from Jane. Since she had came to live with them, she had taken out almost every sugar filled drink out of the house. But Dave managed to spare a few cans and keep them hidden in his room. But now, they were all gone. Oh well, at least apple juice wasn't on that 'do not' list.

"But yeah, everything is going great man. The home schooling's going good. Jane said that since I like to stay up late at night, that that's when I could do my school work. Let me tell ya man, it's working. I could always concentrate better at night anyway. And I made an A on my last math test," Dave said.

"Oh really?! An A?! Oh my gosh, call Ripley's someone! Dave got on A on a math test," John playfully joked to his friend.

"Call the presses," Dave joked.

"How's your bro and Jane doing? They haven't bit each other's heads off have they?" John asked.

"No, they're doing great. They pick at each other all the time, but they get along great! Maybe alittle too great..." Dave smirked and he threw his hand on his face as he recalled the sight that was before one particular morning, "I swear man, the day after we came back from y'all's house, I woke up and both of them were stark nekkid on the couch. I already was nauseated enough that morning! I didn't need that image being burned into my retinas!" Dave said rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to get the reoccurring image from popping up in his head again.

"Hahahahaha wow, oh my God!" John laughed over the phone.

"Yeah, that's what my stomach was saying when I ran to the bathroom and regurgitated my insides," Dave said, trying not to recall the experience.

Dave could still hear John snickering over the phone, "So aside from those two getting alittle too friendly, everything, everyone is going good?"

"Well, I don't know about everyone," Dave finally admitted, "I think, I think Jane wants me to keep the baby."

"Oh really? What makes you think that?" John asked.

"I don't know, it's almost like she's been dropping subliminal messages to me," Dave explained, "Like the other night, after Bro had done gone to work, she had asked me if I have had any ideas for names, for the baby. I told her I don't know, that I was kind of gonna let the family that gets the baby decide the name. But she said that I should still think of a name for it in the mean time, that a baby shouldn't come into the world nameless. And then other day, I found a baby catalog in the table, buried under my books."

"Well as far as the name goes, I suppose that kind of makes since. You could call it at least something for the time being and when you guys find parents, let them pick out a name," John said, trying to be supportive.

"No, I don't want to do that," Dave defensively said.

Immediately he wished he could take back what he said, at least in that tone of voice. Dave could tell John recoiled alittle on his end.

"Look, I didn't mean to say it like that," Dave said calmly, trying to put this as best as he could, "What I mean is I'd really prefer it if I could find a family first and let them pick out a name. I mean it'll be their baby after all, they should have the right to name it. Not me," Dave sadly said at what he was admitting.

John took a moment before replying, he knew Dave. He knew Dave more than Dave knew that he knew him. And he could knew it in his voice, Dave secretly didn't want to give up this baby.

"Dave, I'm going to be honest with you and I want you to be honest with me," John finally spoke, "What do you really want to do? Do you really want to give up this baby?"

'Dammit Egbert...'

Dave really, truly, honestly didn't know how to answer that question.

Does he truly want to give up this baby? No...he didn't. He wanted to keep the baby. To love and be there for it and raise it with his bro and Jane, as a family.

But, does he want the absolute best life for this baby; something he knew full well that he wouldn't able to provide for it, of course.

To Dave, that's all that really mattered, providing this baby with the best life possible. And if that meant him giving it to a couple, a family that could provide for it whatever it needed and wanted, then so be it.

"Dave? You still there man?" John asked, snapping Dave out of his little daze.

As Dave opened his mouth, he started feeling some more of the effects of his new body changes.

For some ungodly reason unbeknownst to him, he felt weird tingly feeling steadily kept pulsating through his chest.

"Yeah, I'm here," Dave said, rubbing his chest, "My tits are just feeling weird again. It feels like they're pulsating."

"That's weird," John said, "Maybe it has something to do with your hormones or something."

"Probably," Dave said, "They've been feeling that way for a couple of weeks now. It feels really weird. I swear I'm growing boobs! The other night, I was getting out of the shower and...Alright Egbert, what is it?" Dave had to stop when he heard snickering on the other end of the line.

"Alright, go ahead and get it ou..."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" John erupted into laughter on the other end.

"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up Egbert! We'll see who's laughing when Uncle John gets to change the first stinky diaper," Dave blurted out without thinking, and immediately slapped his hands over his mouth when he realized what he said.

"Oh so now you're keeping it?" John retorted.

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I don't know alright!" Dave stammered.

John stopped laughing and was quiet for a moment.

"Dave, I want you to hear me out," John finally said, "I can't tell you what to do in this situation. But I can tell you this. Listen to your heart, do what your heart is telling you to do."

"Egbert, if only it were that simply," Dave admitted, "My heart is screaming so many things right now, I don't know what to listen to."

There was another pause between the two boys before John finally spoke once more.

"Well Dave, you've got 7 more months, that's still a long time to thing about things," John said, "But hey listen, I gotta go. I think Dad needs my help in the kitchen. Please let us know what the doctor says tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, see ya later John. I will and say hi to Dad for me," Dave slightly smirked.

"Will do, see ya later Dave. Bye!" John said hanging up.

Dave threw his phone on the bed, and sighed.

"7 more months, if only it were that easy Egbert," Dave said staring back up at his ceiling, "If only it were that easy."

* * *

"Dave Strider, the doctor can see you now," the nurse said as she opened the door to the waiting room.

"'Bout freaking time," Dave mumbled as he, his brother and Jane followed the nurse into the examination room. They have been waiting for over 45 minutes, and let's just say that the Striders are not known for their patience.

"The doctor will be with you in just a minute," the nurse smiled at Dave as she left the room.

"As long as that minute doesn't turn into another 45," Dave could hear his brother mumbling.

But, thankfully, true to the nurse's word, the doctor arrived very promptly.

"Hello David!" the doctor happily greeted, "How are you this fine morning?" the doctor asked as he began to examine Dave.

"Pretty good," Dave said, "My sides have been cramping a bit and chest have been feeling weird, though."

"Well the cramps are normal, that's just your body and your muscles adapting to the changes. And by weird, do you mean tingling?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah," Dave said.

"Don't worry, that is perfectly normal. You see, the tingling you're feeling is actually the milk sacks growing. And as they continue to grow, you will be noticing your 'breasts' getting larger," the doctor informed.

Oh Dave could just hear the giggles now coming from his friends; or maybe that was from his dear brother sitting across from him, holding his hand over his mouth, giggling like an idiot.

Dave smirks when he sees Jane quickly silencing by giving him a hard pinch on the arm.

"So do you have any other questions or concerns?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, I do actually," Dave said, "Am I doing everything right? Is the baby okay? Is there anything that I need to do differently as far as the baby's health is concerned?"

"Well, you seem to be in good health. And from your little baby bulge going on, I'd say that your baby is growing and is healthy," the doctor said.

Dave wrapped his arm around his belly, alittle shy of his tiny bulge.

"I've been making sure he's stuck to the list doctor," Jane said.

"Well that's good then," the doctor said, "And I assume that you've been getting enough rest and haven't been doing anything strenuous?"

"He doesn't have to lift a finger so much as I'm around," Dirk said.

"Well then, with all of that in consideration, I'd say that you are doing everything right and everything is fine," the doctor smiled.

"Now, who wants to see a baby?" the doctor asked, setting up the ultrasound machine.

* * *

"That's cold!" Dave blurts outs as the doctor quirts the gel onto his belly.

The doctor smiled as he moved the sensor (thingy) around and a black and white image appeared on the screen. And for the first time, they get to hear it's little heart beat.

"And there it is," the doctor announced.

The three in the room stared into the screen with utter amazement.

None of them could help the ear to ear smile that made it's way across each of their faces.

"Wow," Dave quietly whispered.

There was the baby, his baby, right there in the screen. It didn't really look like a baby right now, but it is and it will.

Dave placed a hand over the area not being screened as he felt two more hands being placed in the other.

"It looks like your baby is doing just fine David," the doctor happily said.

For a moment, Dave is happy, excited even about bringing this soul into the world. All the happy thoughts of him first holding the baby after it's born, all the happy first moments of the baby's life, all come flooding back for a moment.

But just for a moment.

The smiled on his soon fades as his heart and his mind play tug of war.

His heart was screaming, 'No no no no, you can't do it. You can't give it up!'

While his mind telling him, 'You have to, there's no way you can keep in. What about college? What about your life? What about's it's life?'

Dave felt the grip of the heart's rope loosen and his mind seized the moment.

And for the moment, his mind had won.

As the doctor printed out the pictures of the ultrasound for the trio, he turned off the ultrasound machine.

"And here you are David," the doctor said handing the pictures to Dave.

"Thank you doctor," Dave said.

"Oh and I almost forgot to tell you," the doctor stayed, "the baby's due date is June 21. You'll have a little summer baby."

The three all looked at each other with wide eyes and shocked faces.

June 21, the first day of Summer, was also Cynthia's birthday.

* * *

'There's no way, there's no way we can give it up,' Dirk thought as he looked over the pictures in the hallway before they left the doctor's office, 'Mama would skin us alive. She'd want us to raise it, not some strangers.'

'What if I talk to Little Man, and tell him that this is what Mama would want. Maybe, I can convince him to keep it. We cold raise it together. Me, him, and Janey. I mean Janey helped me raise him, so...'

"Hey Little Man,' Dirk blurted out.

'Oh great going you big idiot! If he wants to give it up, that is his decision and I don't have the right to convince him other wise. If he feels giving it up is the best thing than so be it!'

"Yeah Bro?" Dave looked over at him.

To keep himself from blurting out anymore irrational decisions, Dirk switches from heart torn father/brother mode, into 'Dirk-Mode'.

"So I was just thinking, so now that your boobs are growing now you can play with your own titties."

* * *

And that ladies and gentlemen, is how Dirk Strider got a black eye.


	10. MaybeJust Maybe

You guys, I seariously love each and everyone of you more than y'all will ever know! You guys rock and y'all are so awesome! You guys will never know how much I love everyone who reviewed, favorited or subscribed to this story! THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL SO FREAKING MUCH!

One thing that I feel like I should mention, I know it may seem that this is really dragging on. But this is a pregnancy story. I don't know about you guys, but whenever I read a prego story, and the author jumps ahead to so many months, that drivrs me crazy! I want to know what happened in those months between point A to point B. Now, I'm not saying that this story is gonna drag on forever until Dave is about to pop, but we're at two months and we've got seven more to go. This story ain't ending anytime soon.

Now with that said, I will tell you this, this is the chapter before the real shit starts hitting fan. So, we may be moving slowly, but we are definitely moving surely.

* * *

Chapter 10: Maybe...Just Maybe

Dirk sat in the passenger seat of his own car while Jane drove them to the Egberts to update them on Dave's appointment. He would have driven them himself, but due to a little disagreement with him and his dear baby brother and the resulting meeting between his fist and the elder Strider's face; he was left nursing his bruised eye in the passenger seat.

Jane peered out the corner of her eye to catch a glance at the man seated next to her, holding an icepack up to his face, and couldn't help the giggles escaping her lips.

"Oh Dirk, when will you learn?" Jane said, slightly shaking her head.

"I won't," Dirk said, leaning his head forward, removing the icepack temporarily from his blackened eye socket.

He lifted up his shades and looked into the hold down mirror of the visor. Dave really done a number on him. Thank God for his shades. Almost his entire right eye was now dark blue. He should have known this would be the consequence of his loose lips. This wasn't the first 'badge of honor (stupidity)' that his tongue had earned him, and he'd bet anything it wouldn't be his last. But Dirk cringed at what his brother's reaction would have been had he told him what he was really thinking.

Dirk closed the visor and peered through the rear view mirror to their pouting passenger in the backseat.

"Ahhh come on Little Man, you still mad at Big Bro?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore asshole," Dave said with his arms crossed against his chest.

Like Jane at him, Dirk couldn't help the light chuckle escaping his lips, "You know love you Little Man."

Under his breath, Dave mumbled, "Love you too jerk."

"I thought you said you weren't talking to me anymore."

Nothing escapes the vulcan hearing of Dirk Strider.

To which Dave responded by lightly kicking the back of his brother's seat.

"Cut it out you two," Jane said as she pulled in the Egbert's driveway.

Jane's words apparently had fallen upon deaf ears as the two Strider siblings got out of the car and continued to pick at one another all the way to the Egbert's door.

* * *

"Just think Little Man," Dirk continued on as Dave rang the doorbell, "In a few months, you'll start having to wear bras."

"Oh haha real funny," Dave retorted raising his fist, "Now, do you want your other eye to match or do you want it alittle darker this time."

"OW!" both brothers cried out as Jane pinched them, trying to get them to behave, as the door to the home flung open.

"Hey you guys!" John happily said as he opened the door, letting the three in.

"Hey John," the three responded as they entered into the house.

"John? Who is at the door?" the four in the living room heard Mr. Egbert call from the kitchen.

"It's Dave, Bro, and Jane, Dad. Dave just got back from his appointment," John replied.

"Oh really?" Mr. Egbert said walking into the living room, "David, how did your appointment go?"

"It went good," Dave said reaching into his pocket to retrieve the scroll of sonogram photos, "I thought y'all might wanna see these."

The father and son stared down at the photos wide eyed before John let out an inhuman screech.

"AAAAWWWWWWEEEEEE!" John squealed as he grabbed the photos right out of Dave's hand and held them up to his face.

"Rose! Jade! You gotta come here!" John cried to the top of his lungs.

"Oh God, they're here?" Dave said, knowing what was to come as he heard the two girls stampede into the living room.

"What?! What is it John?!" both girls said as they ran into the room, expecting a complete calamity to be awaiting them.

"Look! Dave has pictures of the baby from the ultrasound!" John said holding the pictures up.

Like John, Jade let out a thrilled squeal and quickly rushed over to the bunch to get a look at the photos.

And Dave almost smiled when Jade embraced him in a not-so huge hug.

But however, he did return the favor and returned the hug.

"I got to hand it to you Strider, you've got a strong and healthy baby from the looks of it," Rose said looking at the pictures.

Dave couldn't help but smirk alittle, "Thanks, Lalonde. That really means alot to me."

The three adults in the room couldn't help the smile that found itself on their faces.

* * *

"It truly is amazing, how we all start out like this," Mr. Egbert said looking down at the picture he held in his hand, "How something so small, can grow to become something so wonderful."

"Yeah," Dirk happily sighed, "It really makes ya wonder, doesn't it?"

After all the kids had run up to John's room to do their own thing, the adults had a seat in the dining room.

"How was David's appointment?" Mr. Egbert asked.

"It was good," Dirk spoke up, "the doctor said that he was doing everything right and that both he and the baby was healthy."

"That's good, that's really good," Mr. Egbert said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ever since they all found out that Dave was pregnant, he's been trying to cut back on smoking; limiting it only to his parlor room, so while Dave was over there, he wouldn't breath in any smoke that would harm both him and the baby. So for the time being, he replaced his addiction to nicotine for caffeine.

"Jane, how has everything been going with you? Are you keeping them both in line?" Mr. Egbert asked Jane.

Jane shook her head as she out her head in her hand, "I've been doing good, thank you for asking. But I'd like to ring a couple of necks sometimes, but other than that, I'd doing fairly well."

"Oh my," Mr. Egbert chuckled, "What have those two been doing this time?"

"Just picking at each other. This morning, Dirk learned the hard way why he should listen to that little voice in the back of his head that tells when to keep his mouth shut," Jane tried to refrain from giggling as she recalled that little incident.

"I didn't learn shit," Dirk bluntly stated, "I'd still do it."

"What did you do?" Mr. Egbert couldn't help but ask.

"In the doctor's office, Dave asked the doctor why his tits where feeling weird, and the doctor told him that it was because his milks sacks were growing. And that since they were growing, his tits were gonna get bigger. And after the visit was over, I kinda slipped into 'Dirk-Mode'."

"He told Dave that 'since his boobs were getting bigger that he could now play with his own titties'," Jane finished for him.

Mr. Egbert almost choked on some of his coffee. He couldn't, yeah he could believe that Dirk would say that to his brother. It's no wonder where Dave gets his smart mouth from.

"And this was the result from it," Jane said lifting up Dirk's sunglasses to reveal his little present for bad behavior.

"Hey!" Dirk said, quickly swatting his shades back down.

But the damage was done, Mr. Egbert got a good look at the healthy shiner that adorned his face. And Mr. Egbert couldn't stop the chuckles from escaping, no matter how collective he tried to make himself out to be.

Now that they got all that out of the way, it was time that they had a serious talk.

"So has it been decided? Is David going to give the baby up for adoption?" Mr. Egbert asked.

Dirk took a loud sigh, he really didn't know how to give an honest answer to that question right now. He didn't even feel like he should be answering it. This was Dave's baby, and ultimately HIS decision. If Dave really wanted to give the baby up, Dirk didn't feel like he had the right to stop him. But deep down, Dirk wasn't so sure that even Dave knew what he wanted to do.

The only answer Dirk would give to Mr. Egbert's question was, "I really, honestly, don't know Dad."

After he asked the question, Mr. Egbert realized that wasn't exactly the best question to be asking Dirk. So he tried another approach.

"Let me ask you both this; what do you think would be the best thing for this baby?"

Before Dirk could open his mouth, Jane immediately jumped in and answered the question head on.

"I think the best thing for the baby would be that it would be raised by it's real family, where we know it will be raised with all the love and support that it needs and deserves."

Both men looked at the fired up woman with surprised. Jane seemed to be more into this that either of them had thought.

Jane had something she needed to tell Dirk, something that she needed to get off of her chest.

"Dirk, I have something to tell you," Jane spoke calmly, "One of the reasons why I was so eager to help you guys, is because I didn't, and don't want Dave to give up the baby. I know how selfish that sounds of me, and I am so sorry. I thought that maybe I could convince Dave to keep the baby somehow. To tell him, show him that he doesn't have to give it up. To show him that there is a family right here that is more than willing to help him raise it. We could do it Dirk! Me, you and him could all raise this baby. Cynthia wouldn't want her first grandchild going to some stranger! She would want us to raise it, as a family!"

Jane knew what she just admitted may very well land her in hot water with Dirk, but she felt like he needed to hear it.

Honestly, Dirk wasn't half surprised by what he just heard come out of Jane. The other half of him was surprised that she would actually think about and try to pull that off, without him catching on first.

"You honestly thought I wouldn't catch that baby catalog on the table as a hint and a half?" Dirk couldn't help but smirk, "You want to sneak something by me Janey, you have to do better than that."

"You, you knew along?" Jane smirked, relieved.

"Janey just because I'm blond doesn't mean I'm dumb."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"A-because I wanted to hear it from you," Dirk said," and B-because I was hoping that you could convince him to keep the baby," Dirk finally admitted.

"I know how you feel Janey. I wish Dave would reconsider giving up the baby. And I know full well that Mama would want us to raise it. And you're right, Janey, we could raise the baby as a family. But I just couldn't have asked something like that from you."

"Oh Dirk," Jane embraced Dirk in warm hug, "You know I would be more than happy to help raise the baby. I helped raise Dave when he was a baby as if he were my very own, why shouldn't I help him raise his?"

For the first 18 months of David Jacob Strider's young life, Jane took the roll of his mother. It started the night he was brought into this world after the car crash had claimed him mother's life. She was there with Dirk in the waiting room after Dirk got the call that Cynthia had been in a wreck, they all were. They wrapped their arms around him in support after Dirk gave the nurse permission to do what they can to save his baby brother. And they were there for Dirk when he got to hold his baby brother for the first time.

When Jane first saw little baby Dave, he was so tiny. He could fit the palms of his brother's hands. He was alive but barely, and if he didn't get the milk that he needed, he too would die. Jane knew baby formula wasn't what Dave needed. He needed nutrient filled, mother's milk. She took hormones, massaged her breasts, done everything she could to make her body lactate, so she could provide the milk that Dave so desperately needed.

And one day the following week after Dave's delivery, Dirk walked into the nursery of the hospital to find Jane holding baby Dave in her arms, breastfeeding him as she rocked him in the nursery's rocking chair.

That was one of the sweetest memories that the two share together, that moment when Jane looked up and saw Dirk standing in the doorway with tears rolling down his face with an ear to ear smile.

Even though the two went their seperate ways long ago, who says they can't cross paths again and continue down the same road?

"Dirk, Jane, I want to let you both know; that if Dave doesn decide to keep this baby, I will be more than willing to help anyway that I can. If you all need me to watch the baby sometime, I will be more than happy to do so. Just let me know," Mr. Egbert said sincerely.

Both Dirk and Jane smiled, "Thank you so much, we greatly appreciate any help that we can get."

Dirk felt good that he and Jane were now on the same level. There was just one person who exactly wasn't. Dave.

Sure, they were just fine with the idea of keeping and raising and baby; but what if Dave wasn't? What if he really didn't want to keep the baby? There's no way Dirk could force Dave to keep the baby if he felt like he should give it up. Dirk just couldn't do that, wouldn't do that to his baby bro.

If they wanted to keep this baby, they both would have to get through to Dave.

* * *

"Oh my gosh!" Jade continued to squeal like a little Japanese school girl, "I totally hanging this on my wall, or maybe put it in a picture frame by my bed. What do you think Dave?" Jade asked a less than enthralled Dave.

"I don't care, do what ever you want with it," Dave said, pretending to not really giving a single shit what Jade does with the one of the pictures from the ultrasound.

"Ah come on Dave, aren't you in the least bit excited?" Rose asked.

As bad as he hated to admit to himself, somewhere deep inside of him, he secretly like Jade. Getting all excited and anticipated over the little bungle of joy, brewing inside of him.

"I'll be excited in 8 months whenever all this is over and done and I can go back to my life," Dave lied.

"Ah come one Dave, don't be like that," Jade tried to cheer him up, "Just think in 7 more months, you're going to be a daddy!"

"Please, for the love of God," Dave threw his head back, "Do not say that. EVER, again."

"Alright fine," Jade said, "Since you're growing boobs, how would you like us to call you mommy instead?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Oh God, after they all went up to John's room, Dave literally did not hear the end of that.

"Dave when I suggested that you should put on a pair of fake boobs and dress up like a girl so no one will suspect you, who knew the only thing you needed to do was skip the first step," Rose said.

" .Lalonde!" Dave said, " .HELL!"

"And don't you dare say it!"

"Lady's first," Rose quietly whispered.

To which Dave responded to Rose's statement by throwing one of John's pillows at her face.

To which Rose responded by promptly dodging the pillow and then threatened him by saying, "I'm not afraid to beat you."

"Bring it."

"Rose! He's pregnant," Jade came to Dave's defense.

"His face ain't pregnant."

"All right, break it up you two," John said stepping in between the two blondes, "Do you two need to go in the corner?"

"Bite me John," both Rose and Dave said at the same time.

After the two calmed down for a bit; the four, well three, decided to shift the discussion, elsewhere than from Dave's growing knockers.

"What do you guys think it will look like?"

"I think Dean would be a cute name if it's a boy, that or Duke."

"What do you hope it is Dave?"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Dave said, holding his hands up in defense, "Stop with all the questions. I don't want to hear them right now."

"Ah Dave," Jade said cuddling up to him, wrapping an arm around his belly, "Don't be a party pooper, let us have our fun."

"What fun? By torturing me?"

"Your mommy or daddy is being a spoil sport, kick him," Jade told Dave's unborn baby as she rubbed his belly.

Dave couldn't help but smirk as he run a hand through Jade's long black hair.

After a moment, Jade leaned her head down on Dave's belly and once again asked, "What do you hope it is Dave. I hope it's a little girl."

Dave sighed, "I don't care what it is, just so long as it's healthy and full term," Dave honestly said.

"Dave?" Jade asked.

"Yeah?"

"If, if it is a girl, and since it's due on your mama's birthday, you could name it after her," Jade quietly said.

"Jade, give it up," Dave said sitting up, "I'm going to let it's 'parents' name it, no matter if it is a boy or a girl. I'm giving it up and that's final!"

Not Jade, nor anyone else spoke another word or few minutes.

Until Jade finally looked up and looked Dave in the eye and told him, "Your brother didn't give you up."


	11. Fight

. FREAKING AWESOME! Seriously you guys, you all are just so awesome! You guys will never know how much I love each and every one of you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THOSE WONDEROUS REVIEWS, FAVORITES, AND SUBSCRIPTIONS!

You guys will never know how much it all means to me!

Keep on being awesome you guys!

And please keep the reviews coming!

* * *

Chapter 11: Fight

Dave sighed as he laid on his bed, staring into white oblivion that was the ceiling in his bedroom. This had become his ritual. Whenever he was worried or confused with the thoughts of the months to come, he could go into his room, and just stare into the blank white ceiling and think. As if he stared into it long enough, it would fork out all the answers to all the questions and concerns he's been having.

But today, no amount of staring would bring any answers to the questions he's been having. Today, it just seemed that the longer he stared, the faster his questions and thoughts raced.

Jade's words had been haunting Dave worse than any horror movie that he had ever seen.

'Your brother didn't give you up.'

Everytime he had a spare moment of thought, her words rang in his head like an ear piercing screech.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not allude those closer than home words.

Dave knew full well that his brother had every chance to put him up for adoption. His social worker tried countless upon countless times to convince Dirk that adoption would be the best thing, for both of them.

But Dirk wouldn't have any of it.

He was dead set on keeping his little precious baby brother in his arms and raising him the best that he could. He told her that its what their mother would have wanted. And that there was nothing that she, nor anyone else could do that would convince him otherwise.

Dirk would rather die than to ever give his baby brother up, even to this day.

The thing is, Dave just didn't know if he could do the same thing his brother did.

Dave clinched the photo he held in his hand tighter as he drew to his face.

It was his copy of the ultrasound pictures. He had given a copy to everyone. The Egberts, Jade, Rose, even Jake, and of course his bro and Jane, which now hung proudly on fridge by the way.

Dave held the image just a few inches from his face. He almost didn't notice the small smile that seemed to have formed without his consent growing on his face. His first appointment was just a couple of weeks ago, and his next one was coming up soon. He couldn't help but wonder how much bigger this, his, baby had gotten. Judging by the growth of his slightly bulging his tummy, Dave would have to say that it was growing properly.

However, the longer he stared at the picture he was holding in his hands, more questions began to rise. And that smile began to fade.

'Could, could I make that same choice, that Bro made?' Dave asked himself with all sincerity, 'Could I sacrifice what Bro sacrificed for me?'

Dave took a moment to think about all the things he wanted to do with his life, and all the things his bro couldn't do cause he had him.

Dave wanted to graduate high school, something Dirk couldn't do.

Dave wanted to go to college, something Dirk couldn't do either.

More than anything, Dave wanted to make a name for himself; something that Dirk was currently doing.

Even raising while a kid, Dirk was topping charts as arguably one of the best DJs in the country. And if his bro could do it, Dave was sure he could too.

'Maybe, it won't be as hard as I'm making it out to be,' Dave began to think, 'Yeah, the first few years would probably be a pain in the ass, but after that, it'll get better right?' Dave almost tried to convince himself.

'Well, as far as high school goes, I could continue with this home schooling gig. So far, it's going pretty good. I don't have to put up with all the bullshit of the public school system; and I could take care of the baby. But what about college? I mean, high school is one thing, but college, that is my entire future. I wanted to go to that school in New York, but if I keep the baby, I can pretty much kiss that dream goodbye. I probably wouldn't be able to go to college, not with a kid.'

"Believe me, I want the best for you, more than anything," Dave quietly spoke as he placed his unoccupied hand on his belly, "But, if I don't go to college. I couldn't give you everything you need, you deserve."

Dave felt himself choke up as he held the photo to his heart, "And you don't need me dragging you down, you deserve someone better," Dave let a single tear roll down the side of his face.

Dave felt like a knife was being dug in his chest, but he knew the absolute best thing he could do for this child, was to give it to someone who provide it with everything he couldn't. A better life and a better future.

Dave took a moment to wipe the tear trail from his eye.

"Damn hormones, getttin me all emotional and crap," Dave chuckled to keep himself from bursting into a ball of tears.

Dave sat up and fixed his eyes on the multiple pictures he had hanging in his room. Many of them recorded alot of happy memories. Memories he shared with his bro, growing up.

He didn't like to think about this a whole lot, but sometimes he couldn't help wonder what his life would have been like if his bro did give him up; vs. the life he did have with his bro.

I mean sure, in the beginning it was tough, but they made it just fine. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? They didn't have everything, but when you think about it, they didn't need everything. They has each other and they were happy. They had a bond that could never and would never be broken.

Dave doesn't remember this; but when he was a baby, Dirk had taken a DJing gig up in Austin, TX. Since he was barely two years old, there was no way Dirk would bring the baby with him. Jake graciously offered to watch baby Dave while Dirk took on this gig. Even though he was making a killing, that weekend was a near nightmare for Dirk. He couldn't hardly stand being away from his baby a day, let alone an entire weekend.

When he finally returned, he held baby Dave in his arms and smothered his head in kisses. Which baby Dave cheerfully clapped his little hands as kept giggling "Bwo" over and over.

Each little sound was like music to Dirk's ears and his heart melted when Jake told him that he's been walking and crawling around the house all weekend looking and calling out for him.

That's when Dirk swore to never leave his baby brother ever again. And he hasn't, even to this day.

Now matter where he was, through thick or thin, Dave could always count on his brother to be there.

Honestly, Dave doesn't have any fathomable idea of what life would be like his he didn't have his brother, if Dirk had made that choice to give him up.

Would he be better off than his now? Would he be happy? Or would he be completely miserable, probably never of his love of his real family or bond that he shares with his brother. Would he even feel loved at all?

Dave didn't want that for his baby, he wanted it to feel loved.

'If, no when, I find the baby a family, I want to know that it will be loved. I want the baby to feel every ounce of love that I felt. I don't want it to think that it was never loved, I want it feel loved, on both sides.'

Dave then sat up from his bed and stared at the box on his desk. It was an early birthday present from Dirk and Jane.

He slowly got off his bed and made his way over to the desk and opened the box.

"Happy early birthday Little Man," Dirk happily said as he handed Dave the wrapped box, "Me and Jane got you a little something."

Dave looked at Dirk suspiciously, Dirk knew what he was suspecting.

"And don't worry it's not a smuppet."

"Well, since it's from both you AND Jane, I suppose it can't be that bad," Dave said tearing into the box.

Dave's face turned as red as his eyes when he finally unboxed his gift.

"Ah come on Bro! Are you kidding me?!" Dave cried out as he immediately shut the box, "I told you no!"

"I know, I know, Little Man," Dirk waves his hands in defense, he knew their gift was pretty much the last thing Dave wanted to see. But maybe if he used it, he would change his mind about giving the baby up, "Here look at it this way, you could work on this. And when the time comes, you can give it to the parents. Okay?"

Dave sighed, "Fine, whatever you say."

Dave had to admit it, it was a good idea. It would be the perfect way he could let the baby know that it wasn't abandoned. That he would always love it.

Dave slightly smirked as he pulled the pale yellow baby book from the box and opened it to the first page.

Dave took his photo that he still had in his hand, and taped it to the first page; right beside it, he wrote, 'Your first picture'.

On the flyleaf, he began to write.

'Dear...'

* * *

"AHHH COME ON BRO!" Dave yelled furiously at Dirk.

"For the last time Dave, no!" Dirk replied head strong in his decision.

A few days had passed his Dave's and Dirk's birthday. Now that Dave is 16, he is excited that he can finally get his license. Or so he thinks.

"PLEASE?" Dave begged for what had to be the hundredth time since they started this discussion.

"I told you Little Man, you are NOT getting your license until after the baby is born," Dirk said holding his ground.

Dirk knows how excited Dave was to get his license and how mad he is by his brother's decision. But this was one thing he is holding his ground on.

"Why not?!"

"Well lets see; A-that baby bump of yours is making him more obvious an you can't exactly dress up like a girl to get your license. And B-I don't want you driving while your pregnant."

"Why?! Am I that bad of a driver?!"

"Yes! But that's not the point right now," Dirk said, "The point is to keep you safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you go out and you got in a wreck and either of you getting hurt or killed."

Dave wasn't exactly the best driver on earth. The dented stop sign post near the Egberts was proof of that. But he was still pissed off.

It is a right of passage for every 16 year old. Getting their driver's license. The little 3"x 2 1/4" card that struck fear in every parent and pedestrians' heart. The symbol of freedom in every teenager's eyes. He was not able to partake in.

"Am I being punished for something I am unaware of Bro?" Dave wouldn't give up.

"No Little Man, you didn't do anything wrong, you aren't be punished," Dirk told him, "I just don't want you to get hurt. Is that so hard to understand?"

Dave could see where his brother was coming from, and he was sure he would feel the same way if he were in his shoes. But right now, you might as well have taken away everything he once held near and dear cause he felt utterly devastated.

Dirk did know how Dave felt, he had been going on and on about turning 16 and getting his license for weeks. And he recalled how excited he was when he turned 16 and got his license. But there were just somethings you've got to put your foot down with. Dirk hated doing this to his little man, but it was for his own good.

"Look, I will let you get your license the day after the baby's born. But until that day comes, you can't leave without me or Jane or somebody with you. Understand?"

"Why do I have to be with somebody just to step out of the apartment?!" Dave demanded to know.

"Because I said so," Dirk told Dave, not wanting to reveal the reason behind this.

"Dirk, could you come in here for a minute?" Jane called from the kitchen, hearing the whole thing, disrupting the little disagreement between the two brothers.

"Be right back," Dirk told Dave.

"Yes?" Dave heard Dirk call to Jane as he walked to the kitchen.

Dave grumbled as he sat on the couch, waiting for his bro.

* * *

"I think you're being alittle hard on Dave," Jane told him.

"I'm not being hard on him Jane, he has to understand," Dirk defended his actions.

"You need to explain to him exactly why you won't let him get his license," Jane tried to explain to Dirk, "He doesn't know the whole story and he won't understand until he does."

"How can I tell him the whole story without him flipping out. You seen how he reacted to that, how do you think he'd react if I tell him," Dirk told her, not wanting to tell the whole story of what happened that night.

Jane could see that Dirk was conflicted by something, deeply. She had no idea what it was but she was about to find out.

* * *

While Dirk and Jane were talking in the kitchen, Dave was left in the living room, to his thoughts. Or more like his rebellious teenaged hormones.

Dave looked at the door and got a conniving thought, 'Can't leave the apartment without him. I'll show him.'

Dave quietly got up from the couch and slipped quietly out the door.

"Dirk is there something you need to tell me?" Jane asked.

"Jane there's something I didn't tell you, about that night I went after Noir."

* * *

The cold December air felt good on Dave's flushed and red face. For the first time in weeks, it was good to breathe in some fresh air, well as fresh as the city of Houston's air could be.

Dave thought he'd walk a few blocks and then come back, just to prove that he was fine out on his own. That he didn't need his bro right up under him.

How little did he know that in the short distance that he has traveled, he was already being watched.

* * *

"YOU WHAT?!" Jane yelled at the top of her lungs.

Jane couldn't believe what Dirk just admitted to her, she couldn't believe he would be so stupid! Do something so stupid. And this was Dirk Strider, dare devil extraordinaire! She couldn't believe that Dirk actually mentioned to Noir that Dave was pregnant.

Jane let her self control slip for a moment as she back handed Dirk Strider, hard, in the mouth. And this time she wasn't apologizing.

"I ought to ring your neck for putting those babies in such of danger!" Jane growled at Dirk, thoroughly pissed off.

Dirk looked down in shame, "I didn't mean to Janey, it just slipped out."

"That's what happens when you don't think before you act Dirk Strider!"

* * *

Dave's walk was fairly peaceful, and uneventful. He was wearing his jacket with his hands in his pockets so no one would notice the little bulge going on. However he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched by someone.

Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn he saw someone following him a block or two back.

Maybe it was time he started heading back.

* * *

The two adults remained silent to one another or a few more moments. Neither one of them could speak to each other. Jane was so mad she couldn't hardly stand it. Dirk just stood there, ridden with guilt, shame, and anger at himself.

They both turned and looked at each other, they didn't know how to fix the situation they had found themselves in. But they knew that it wasn't going to fix itself by them just standing there not talking to eachother.

"Look Jane, I know your pissed off at me. Hell I am pissed off at me, I need your help in this. I need your help to protect Dave and the baby. I don't know what I'll do it Noir ever got ahold of Dave or the baby. But if you want to leave, I understa..."

"Who said I'm leaving, I ain't going nowhere," Jane said, "We're in this together. And there's no way I'm leaving you and those babies to fend for y'alls' selves."

This was one of many reasons why Dirk loved Jane, she was fighter. She wasn't giving up for anything.

"What do we need to do Janey?" Dirk asked Jane.

"We need to sit down and tell Dave," Jane said, "Is he going to be pissed off, yes. But we just need to go out and be open with him, he needs to know the whole truth."

Dirk smiled down at Jane, "You're always right."

The two leaned down and kissed one another, before going into the living room. The two were honestly surprised that Dave didn't hear them arguing.

"Dave? We need to tell you something," Dirk said before reaching the living room, unaware of it's missing occupant.

"Little Man?"

* * *

Dave was almost back to his apartment building, so far the coast was clear. He had not seen one hair or hide out of place and apparently it was just his imagination cause that person he swore he thought was following him was now gone.

'See there, Bro. I told you nothing would hap...'

Dave's thoughts were brought to an abrupt, and terrifying halt when he was grabbed by the arm and drug into the alley he was passing by.

Dave tried to scream but a gloved hand quickly covered his mouth.

His fights go in vein as he was drug deeper into the seclusion of dark alley.

"Stop fighting," the man who held him growled in his ear.

He was terrified as he immediately recognized the voice. It's the one voice he prayed he would never hear again.

Dave whipped his head around and stared into the eyes of the absolute last man that he ever wanted to see again.

'Noir...'

* * *

*Insert troll face*

I only do it because I love you


	12. Or Flight?

I'm back and no I'm not dead, however I feel like a zombie after last week. I had a term paper due last week and I am so so so so so soooooooo sorry my darlings for keep you all waiting! Thank you, thank you, thank you all soooooo much for your patience you guys! You guys are just so wonderful! I love each and everyone of you soooooo much! You guys will never know how much your continuing support means to me!

From the very bottom of my heart, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH TO EVERYONE who favorited, reviewed, amd suscribed to this story! I seriously love each and everyone of you, more than y'all will ever know! Y'all are just so awesome, so amazing! Keep on rocking you guys!

And I promise I will never skip an update again without letting y'all know! Pinky promise!3

* * *

Chapter 12: ...Or Flight?

Dave's terror stricken red eyes were glued to the charcoal black irises of his captor as he was drug deeper into the dark alley way, away from the safety of any prying eyes.

Noir slaps a hand over Dave's mouth as he slammed him against the cold, rough bring wall behind him. And Dave felt a familiar sensation traveling up his throat as he heard the man before him chuckle as if this was some sort of sick game.

However, that feeling of disgust rising in his esophagus was quickly replaced with sheer fear as Noir held what could be described as a small sword up to his panting and sweating neck.

"Scream and I'll slit your throat from ear to ear," Noir growled in his ear.

Dave wagered between biting the hand that held his lips together and screaming for his life, hoping that someone would hear him; or complying with this lunatic's demand and remaining silent, possibly saving not only his life, but the life of his unborn baby as well.

It didn't take long for Dave to decide his next move.

"Smart boy," Noir devilishly grinned as he took notice of Dave's forced cooperation.

Dave bit his lip as screams tried to escape his lips as Noir unzipped his jacket, exposing his little baby bump.

But on the inside, his mind screamed like a lion's roar, 'Somebody please help me!'

* * *

Dirk and Jane both stood with their mouths wide open at the empty seat on the couch, where Dave last was seen when his and Dirk's conversation was abruptly cut short. Dirk had not left his younger brother's sight more than ten minutes ago, and he was gone.

Where could he have gone? Surely if he had slipped into another part of the apartment they would of heard him, if not seen him. The only way to the rest of the apartment was through the kitchen, and both Dirk and Jane had been in there, so there's no way he would have been able to slip by both of them unnoticed. The only other option was...

"Oh no," both adults quietly whispered.

Dave had slipped out of the apartment, alone and unprotected.

Upon the realization of the teen's actions, that initial shock gave way to sheer panic.

'OhGodohGodohGodohGodohGod!' Dirk's mind panicked, 'Where is he?! Where did he go?! What if he's hurt?! What if he's in trouble?! What if...' Dirk's heart skipped a couple of beats, 'What if he ran into Noir?! Oh my God!'

With his mind fearing the absolute worse, Dirk bolted to his/their bedroom to retrieve the one thing he hoped he would never have to use. The 9mm Jake gave him. He gave it a quick check to make sure it was loaded and ready. Ready to put a bullet between the eyes of any trouble his little man may be in.

"Jane, you got your gun?" Dirk said returning to living room.

"Way ahead of ya," Jane said cocking her service gun.

Before the two bolted out the door, the two exchanged a reassuring, confirming nod, 'Find Dave and if you see Noir, shoot him on sight.'

Without so much as a second thought, the two take off in search who the two proudly consider to be their son.

* * *

Dave could feel a small stream of blood trickling from his lip as he bit harder and harder into his lip trying to suppress the screams trying to escape from his throat.

However, Dave nearly feels a much heavier, warmer stream flow down his leg as Noir proceeded to use his knife to cut open his shirt. Showing the full extent of his nearly three month preggy belly.

After first glance of the sight that was unwillingly held before him, Noir took a step back, almost not believing what he was seeing.

But, a sick, disgusting smile soon found it's way onto Noir's face.

"Damn, I must say," Noir chuckled, "I knew I was potent, but I had no idea I was THAT potent."

"I just had to see this for myself."

Dave's eyes widened in shock, 'Had, had Noir known all along? How did he find out?!'

Before Dave could open his mouth to find out the answers to these fears, Noir grabbed Dave by the neck, almost choking him.

"How-how did you find out?" Dave choked.

"Oh you didn't know?" Noir asked in a mocking tone, "Your shit headed brother paid me a nice visit about a month ago and informed me of the little transaction that took place from to our agreement."

Dave felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach at what Noir just admitted to him.

His bro has done some stupid things in his life, but surely he wouldn't have gone and done something so idiotic. Not even Dirk Strider at the peak of his stupidity would go to the man who impregnated his baby brother and unwittingly told him of his unborn child. Would he?

'No, nonononono. He's lying! Bro wouldn't do that! He wouldn't!'

"You're," Dave coughed, "You're lying! Bro, Bro wouldn't do that!"

"Hoho, I believe he would, and he did David," Noir's chuckle turned into a deep, terrifying growl, "And I cannot have ANYONE finding out about this little transaction between us. It will ruin me!"

With his past as dark as his name, the last thing Noir wanted was to shine light of this little predicament both he and Dave found themselves in. If anyone official found out he impregnated a 15 year old boy, it would be a media circus. And if Noir's little underground gun smuggling side business was to be uncovered from all the unwanted extra attention; it would burn up faster than the Hindenburg.

And Noir was willing to do anything to keep that happening.

* * *

Dirk and Jane stormed out of the high rise apartment complex and spilled out onto the busy street. The blocks around the apartment were crowded with people trying to put a dent in the Christmas shopping lists. Shoving through people and looking around every corner would take forever. And for all they knew and didn't know, time was not on their side.

However, in what could be described as a 'once in a lifetime moment', Dirk had a great idea.

"Jane, you take the streets. I'll search the alleys," Dirk told Jane.

"Got it," Jane nodded.

'Don't you worry Little Man, Big Bro and Janey are on their way. We're coming!' Dirk called out in his head as he scanned the alleys near their apartment for any sign of his baby brother.

Somewhere in the nearly nonexistent rational portion of Dirk Strider's brain, he knew, or would like to think, that Dave was probably alright. That he was just being a rebellious teenager when told they can't go somewhere or do something. That he was just over reacting and Dave will come home when he feels like it.

Normally, that's what he would think.

But this was by no means under any normal circumstance. His pregnant teenaged brother was out wondering the streets; and the baby's homicidal father not only knows about it, but has also most likely been staking them out to wait for the right moment to pounce. And Dave had just unknowingly set himself up for the sneak attack of the century.

Dirk knew that odds of this happening and Dave actually running into Noir in such a large city were next to minuscule. But still, his parental instincts were kicking into over drive. It was like he knew something was wrong and that he had to go and find him. He could feel it.

The thought of, or fear that Noir had gotten ahold of his baby brother made Dirk's blood boil and he quickly picked up his pace.

"Hang on Little Man, Bro will find ya. Don't worry."

'Noir, I swear to God, if I find you messing with my little man, they won't ever be able to put you back together.'

* * *

Noir really enjoyed the trembles and shakes he was able to emit from the currently youngest Strider. Even though his face remained stern as ever as to not show any fear, his body was showing a completely different story. Dave was completely unable to control the shakes and jerks his body made everytime Noir moved.

If he could evoke this kind of terror in the boy, Noir just imagined how he could get Dave to react if he really got inside of his head.

"You know David," Noir said, lightly dragging the knife from cheek to cheek then down toward his stomach, "I've wondered what it'd be like to be a dad. I'd always thought I'd make a great father."

With hot tears of fury now burning in his eyes, Dave yelled at him, "If you ever comes near this baby, it'll be over my dead body!"

That same wicked smile returned, "Well, I do think that can be arranged," Noir said, raising the knife above Dave's belly.

Oh that was it, you can mess with The Strider; but you mess with his baby, and hell shall have no fury like a pregnant Strider scorn.

Just as Noir was about to plunge the knife in his belly, Dave's 'mother bear' instincts kick in and he kicked Noir in the crotch as hard as possibly could.

As if the excruciating pain from his two ruptured nuts weren't bad enough, when Noir finally dropped Dave before dropping to his knees, Dave threw his fist back and punched Noir in the face so hard Dave swore his nose receded at least half an inch into his face.

But as fate would have it, just as Dave thinks he's finally free and tries to make a run for it, Noir still has some fight left in him.

"Where do you think you're going you little bitch!" Noir growled through the pain as he grabbed ahold of Dave's ankle, causing him to trip and fall.

The fear of falling and hurting his baby caused Dave to cry out as he landed on the ground.

* * *

"Huh?" Dirk turned around as he heard a cry echoing out in the distance. It didn't sound too far, maybe four or five blocks away. But it still wasn't close enough for him to recognized who it came from.

Still his gut feared the worse.

"Dave? I'm coming Little Man!" Dirk immediately took off running toward the cry.

If that was Dave's cry that he heard, then Dirk's fears may have come true. Noir had gotten ahold of Dave and he was hurt.

Dirk ran as fast as he could; hoping, praying, that what he feared wasn't true.

* * *

Thankfully when he fell, Dave instinctively held out his arms to protect his baby; so the baby wasn't hurt by the fall. But now Dave was facing the most terrifying thing he had ever seen in his life. A thoroughly infuriated Jack Noir towering above him.

Dave tried kicking desperately as he tried to crawl away, but each of his attacks are dodged.

However, Dave was able to dodge Noir's attacks as well. He rolled over to dodge a kick in the stomach and was able to grab ahold of lead pipe.

Dave immediately used the pipe to hoist himself up and literally got swinging into action.

This is what he felt like his bro had been training him for all these years. For this exact moment. At that moment, Dave remembered everything his bro had taught him during their strifes.

Put your best foot forward, pit your other back. Place your best hand above the other. Dodge at your opponent's attack and swing at their weakness. And always, ALWAYS keep your eye on your opponent at all times!

With his make shift sword in his hand and his brother's guidance in his head, Dave got into his 'stance' and was ready to face to the biggest opponent of his life.

"Come at me bro," Dave couldn't help the cocky smirk.

The only reply Noir offers to that was a failed slash with his tiny sword. Which Dave dodges without a problem.

Dave dodged all of Noir's attack's before launching a few of his own. He wanted to see where Noir's weakness was. And he found it. It was his left side. Dave managed to dodge all of Noir's attacks, now it was time to attack his weakness.

Dave ran forward and swung the pipe straight into Noir's side.

Noir immediately cringed and took a few steps back.

Causing Dave to smirk, "What's the matter Noir? Can dish it out, but you can't take it?"

Noir growled at Dave's insult and lunged forward, which Dave easily dodged.

Dave leaped behind Noir and swung into his left shoulder, nearly bringing Noir to his knees. But he would not be deterred. Until he started noticing something.

The more Dave hit, the more cocky he got. Noir knew this and saw it and it was only a matter of time before his cockiness got the better of him and he messed up.

After a few more hits from Dave, Noir didn't have to wait too long. Dave's swings were getting sloppier, less precise. His cockiness was starting to show more and his attention was starting to get averted.

On his last swing, Dave barely swiped Noir again on the side and when he noticed Noir panting cockily said, "What's wrong Noir? Getting tired already? I'm just getting started."

Dave was trying to hide the fact that he was getting pretty tired and out of breath too, but he wasn't exactly doing a great job.

Noir was taking note of this and was getting ready to use it against him.

Dave was about to lunge again, when he heard a frantic voice call his name not too far off.

* * *

"DAVE!"

* * *

It sounded like...

"Bro? Bro is that you?" Dave broke his brother's most sacred rule and turned his attention away from his opponent.

This was the mistake that Noir had been waiting for.

While Dave was distracted Noir kicked the pipe out of Dave's hand.

With him now disarmed, Noir took his chance and tried to make a fatal slash across Dave's throat.

But, Dave quickly whipped his head around just as Noir lunged and swung, and ducted just in time.

However, he didn't get away unscaved. Noir's knife slashed him good across his cheek.

Dave falls back to the ground as he presses is hand against his bloody cheek.

Noir stood seemingly victorious over him as he was about to lung his knife into Dave's chest.

But before he could make a move, the sound of two gun fires stop him in his tracks. Two bullets barely missed him. One grazed the left side of his head next to his temple, and the other grazed his right shoulder.

* * *

On both ends of the alley way, stood Dirk Strider on one end, Jane Crocker on the other.

Before both adults get ready to load their second bullet into the man standing over their babies; Noir threw a smoke bomb he kept hidden in his coat and escaped up a near by fire escape up to the roof of a building.

When the smoke cleared, Noir was gone and Dave was left shaking and bleeding in the middle of the alley way.

As soon as Dirk and Jane saw Dave through the clearing smoke, with tears in their eyes, both adults took off running toward the shaking teen; both screaming to the top of their lungs, "DAVE!"

* * *

I hope this chapter can make up for the missed update last week!

And to you HomestuckVS, don't worry about your tests. You will do fine!:D I believe in you!


	13. More Problems & Plans Ahead

I can never thank you guys enough for all the support you've given me throughout this story! From the deepest pit of my heart and soul, thank you, thank you, thank you all sooooo much to everyone who favorited, reviewed and subscribed to this story! Y'all will never know how much each and every little notification means to me! I love you all so much, more than y'all can imagine!

Biggest freaking abrazos ever!

Maybe this chapter will make up for last week's!

* * *

Chapter 13: More Problems & Plans Ahead

Everything was just so surreal for him at that moment. One moment he was sure he was going to defeat the man threatening his and his unborn baby's life; and then the next he was on his back, literally staring death in the face. Then he heard two shots fired and the air became thick and cloudy. For a moment, he was sure that Noir had succeeded in taking the life of him and his child. But the bells and whistles of the city made it evident to Dave that he was still very much part of this world.

Dave coughed as he slowly sat up in the still currently smoke covered alley where both he and his baby could have very well just lost their lives. He looked down at his visibly shaking, bloody hands and feared the worse.

'Oh God...No!' Dave's mind screamed as he instinctively ran his shaking hands over his belly, desperately looking for any harm that may have befallen on his precious unborn child.

When he couldn't find so much as a scratch on his stomach, and the pain on his cheek became evident, he sighed with relief when he realized the blood on his hands were just from his wounded cheek.

As the smoke began to clear in the alley, Dave jerked his head up at the sound of two voices hysterically screaming his name. It sounded like...

He looked towards both ends of the alley and through the remaining remaining smoke, he saw both his bro and Jane running as fast as they could towards him.

Dirk made it there first.

He collapsed to the ground and flung his strong arms around his brother and engulfed him in a massive hug. Jane made it immediately after and threw her arms around both brothers.

"Oh my God, Dave!" both adults cried as they smothered his head in kisses.

Dave couldn't contain the tears that were now flowing freely from his eyes and returned returned their hugs the best be could at the moment.

"Oh Dave," Dirk took his brother's head in his hands and looked him in the eyes, or shades should I say, and continued to burst into river of tears.

If he and Jane hadn't have made it when they did, Dirk couldn't bring himself to think of what this moment would be like.

"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!" Dirk cried as he cradled his precious brother's head, "Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought I was going to loose you, both of you!"

When Dave first stepped out their apartment door, he had no idea his rebellious actions would lead to this. He had no idea that it almost cost him not only his life, but the life he swore he would love and protect no matter what. He just wanted to prove to his brother that he would be fine and could handle himself without him right up under him.

"I'm sorry Bro, I'm so sorry!" Dave sobbed into his brother's chest.

"No, no I'm the one who's sorry Little Man," Dirk sobbed, rubbing his brother's head, "If I hadn't had been so stupid, then none of this would have happened," Dirk began to sob up again, "I never meant for any of this to happen. Please, PLEASE forgive me!"

'It, it is true. Noir was telling the truth!'

"Is it true Bro? Did you tell Noir that, about the baby?" even though Dave already knew the answer, he wanted to hear it from his bro.

"I'm so, so sorry Little Man," Dirk lowered his head in shameful admittion, "That night at the hospital, when we found out, I was so angry. I was angrier than I have ever been in my life, and I wanted vengeance. After everyone left, I went and took that vengeance out on Noir. After, after I was done, I swear I don't know what came over me. I told him 'If you ever draw breath near my brother or his baby; the pain you are feeling now, will be nothing in comparison'."

"I swear to you, Little Man, I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking of the consequences. I was only thinking of my selfish thirst for vengeance. I never ever meant to put you and baby at risk! I'd kill myself if I let anything happen to you two!"

Normally, Dave would be mad as hell at his brother if he were to go and do something so stupid as that. But for reason beyond his understanding, Dave couldn't find it in his heart to be angry at his bro.

That night at the hospital was a very emotional roller coaster for all of them. He had every right to be angry at Noir, and Dave was sure that if he were in his bro's shoes that he would've done the same thing; going and beating the crap out of his sibling's child's father that is. And Dave knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that his brother would never do anything to intentionally put him, or his baby, in harms way. Dave couldn't find a reason not to forgive his bro, no matter how stupid he may have been.

I mean this is Dirk Strider we're talking about here. Not forgiving him for doing something ridiculously stupid is just like being mad at a dog for barking in the middle of the night. He's bound to do it again sometime, so you might as well get over it.

"I forgive you," Dave said.

"What?" Dirk looked down at him surprisingly.

"I forgive you. You didn't mean for this to happen anymore that I did," Dave said, "He knows now anyway, so there's no point in being mad at ya."

Dirk couldn't help the smile that was easing its way onto his face. His Little Man had grown up, matured, so much these past couple of months. He now had a way of seeing things that most kids his age were blind to. Sure, he still had a very evident teenaged rebellion side; but all in all, he's wised up a good bit. Parenthood will do that to ya.

"I'm so proud of you Little Man," Dirk said with pride swelling in his chest, "You stood up to Noir and protected not only yourself, but the baby as well. That takes alot of balls and alot of courage. Not many people wouldn't have been able to do that Little Man," Dirk tightened his embrace, "You will never know how proud I am of you."

Like Dirk, Dave tightened his grip around his bro. Dave done the best he could protecting himself and his baby with what he had. But he made some very crucial mistakes that could have, and would have, cost him dearly. Had it not been for his bro and Jane. He couldn't allow himself to make those same mistakes again.

"I'd rather die than let anything happen to my baby," Dave quietly said.

Both Dirk and Jane heard this and smiled as Dirk planted a kiss right in the middle of Dave's forehead.

"We both are," Jane said, running a hand through Dave's messy blond mop.

When Dave turned his head to face her, she noticed the two inch slash across his cheek was still bleeding alittle.

"Hold still honey," Jane said getting a better look at it, "Let me see."

"How's it look Janey?" Dirk asked.

"It's a little deep, but not enough to need stitches," Jane told the two, "We need to hurry up and get him inside."

"Right," Dirk said picking up his precious cargo and carried him the rest of the way back towards the apartment.

* * *

"OW!" Dave screamed as the alcohol soaked rag made contact with his injured flesh.

"Dave honey, you have to hold still," Jane said, trying to keep Dave from jumping off the counter, "I know it hurts, but it'll only sting for just a second."

"A second my ass," Dave retorted, screaming inside.

"It's for your own good Little Man," Dirk said, leaning up against the counter beside them, "You don't want that to get infected. Remember that episode of 1000 ways to become a corpse? You know the one where the lady gets infected by a razor and half her face rots off."

"Okay Bro, I get it," Dave said, trying to push that mental image from his mind.

That was another 'added addition' to being pregnant. Just the sight or thought of anything gory made Dave's stomach do summersaults. That was one of the reasons why he kept throwing up so bad was because while he was puking his guts out; he wouldn't keep his eyes closed sometimes, and the sight of his own insides made him sicker.

And to think, before he could watch all the Saw movies without so much as flinch. Irony at its finest.

"Okay, that's taken care of," Jane said as she finished put their homemade bandage on left side of Dave's face.

"Okay, now lift up your shirt," Jane instructed Dave.

Dave done as he was told and lifted up his oversized shirt that Dirk put on him since they made it back to the apartment.

"I don't see any cuts or bruises, that's good," Jane reported, "I don't think the baby was hurt at all."

Dave breathed a few sighs of relief, they all did.

"As long as the baby's alright, that's all that matters," Dave said, placing a hand over his belly.

"What matters is that you're both safe," Jane told him.

"And we're going to keep it like that," Dirk said as he lifting Dave up off the counter and carried him into his bedroom.

It was now getting pretty late, and Dave was pretty beat. Kicking the father of your baby's ass with a lead pipe is pretty tiring, you know? So before he fell off the counter, Dirk carried him to his room and tucked him in.

"Night Little Man, love you," Dirk said, planting another kiss on Dave's forehead.

"Love you too Bro, night," Dave said sleepily.

In a matter of moments, he was out of it.

Dirk quietly slipped out of the room and walked back to the kitchen.

"He asleep?"

"Out like a light," Dirk said taking a seat at the table next to Jane.

"Good," Jane said, "Poor thing's had a rough day. We all have."

"Yeah."

A moment of silence overcame the room for a moment.

"Look, we gotta talk," Dirk finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"I agree," Jane said, "We've got to do something differently than what we're doing. We can't just keep him locked up in here for seven more months until the baby is born. We've done it for two and look what almost happened today."

"I know Janey, I know," Dirk said removing his hat and running a hand through his hair, "But it's because of what happened today that we can not let him out of our sight."

"What if we hadn't gotten there in time Janey, he could have been..."

"I know, I know," Jane said putting her head in her hands, trying not to relive all the what-ifs that were playing over and over in her head.

"We can't keep him cooped up in here the rest of the time. The more we do, the harder he is going to push back. Trust me, I've seen this before," Jane told Dirk.

Dirk knew she was right; but after what just happened today, there was no way he was letting his Little Man anywhere out from under his sight. It's not that he didn't trust Dave, he had to admit that Dave handled himself pretty well today, but it was the fact that Noir could pop up anywhere at anytime. Hell, for all Dirk knew, Noir could have hired a sniper to stake out their apartment to shoot him on sight.

Of course Dirk knew literally the possibilities of that happening were next to damn-near impossible. But that's what he thought about Noir finding Dave too.

And what Dirk feared the most was Noir popping up, and and he wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him.

That almost happened today, and Dirk would be damned before he let it happen again.

"Let's see," Jane began," We can't keep him locked up in here; but we can't let him out of our sight, not with that lunatic running around."

"Well, I know how we can solve that problem Janey," Dirk said.

He leaned back in his chair and pulled out the gun that was tucked in his pants. He pulled put the magazine and checked how many bullets he had left.

He loaded the magazine back in and cocked it back.

Dirk then got up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Watch Little Man for me will ya, I'm gone go..."

"Dirk Strider, sit your ass back down. It's games like that that got us in this mess to begin with," Jane said in a stern voice.

"Just an idea," Dirk said returning to his seat.

As bad and unprofessional as it was, that was one idea of Dirk's that Jane really wanted to side on.

If it wasn't for the fear of Noir popping up at any given moment, they wouldn't have to be looking over their shoulder at nearly every person or shadow that they passed by.

Even coming to and going home from work, both Dirk and Jane were on their toes, in fear of someone following or watching them.

And it was really beginning to take it's toll on both of them. Dirk swore have his head was now grey and Jane wasn't far behind him.

They both had to come up with something, some sort of solution, without resorting to murder, soon.

* * *

And it came in the sound of a knock on the door, or so they thought.

"Oh hell," Dirk said as he peered through the peep hole to see who it was.

"What is it?" Jane jumped up.

"Dave's social worker. What the hell is she doing here this early in the month?" Dirk said taking his time opening the door.

The Wicked Witch of the West, I mean Ms. Ava, the woman Dirk knew and hated all too well; stopped by for their monthly period, I mean visit.

"Why Ms. Vicky, is it that time already?" Dirk said sarcastically as he opened the door.

"Oh Mr. Strider, how your sarcasm ceases to amuse me," Ms. Ava said, letting herself into the apartment, "I'm here to ask you a few questions regarding your choices in David's education."

"Why did you pull David out of school?"

This really caught Dirk by surprise, he thought he got everything cleared away with that stuff when he had Dave enrolled in the homeschool program. And Dirk really wasn't good at surprise questions.

"Uh, well because of, um..."

"Because Ms. Ava, Dave had been really sick since the earlier part of the semester. And since he had already missed a considerable amount of days, we thought it would be best it we could pull him out of school and was looking to keep him out atleast until the next school year, for medical purposes," Jane said, quick on her feet.

All those years of interrogating criminals in the FBI had paid off. She is now an expert on handling quick, hard questions.

"I see, and what program have you enrolled David in?"

"We enrolled him in this program that our friend has her daughter in. She says it is really great, and she's had her daughter enrolled in it since the 2nd grade. I believe it's called Keysford Academy."

"I'll check into that," Ms. Ava said, writing something down on a clipboard, "Have David's grades improved since he started this program?"

"Yes ma'am, his grades are now averaging A-B, where it was in the Cs if I believe correctly," Jane said rushing to get his report card to prove it, "Here is his report card from his last tests."

Ms. Ava just smirked, not really seeming to care, "I always knew homeschooling far surpassed the wretched public school system."

Ms. Ava seemed to accept Jane's explanation. With Dave's health record a mile long, she was honestly surprised that the boy wasn't continually hospitalized for all the diseases and bacteria that he was exposed to in the public school system. And with Dave's grades increasing, it seems like they made the right choice in homeschooling him. She was honestly surprised as to why they hadn't done it sooner.

After jotting down a few more things on her clipboard, Ms. Ava had one more question to ask.

"And where is David now. I would like to see him."

"I'm sorry Ms. Ava, I'm afraid that's non-optional," Jane said.

"And why is that?"

"Because," Dirk finally spoke up, playing it as cool as possible, "The doctor had instructed that he be put on bed rest and that no one disturbs him, in fear of further contamination."

Dirk really hoped she believed him, he couldn't have her finding out about Dave's pregnancy. If she found out, they all were officially screwed.

Ms. Ava looked at Dirk and Jane suspiciously as if they were hiding a deep, dark secret. But she really had no reason not to believe them. The last time she was over here, Dave was puking his guts up; and if he still had whatever he had, Ms. Ava was sure she neither wanted or needed to be around him.

"Alright, far enough. But keep in mind if he doesn't show considerable improvement by next month, I will have to call your guardianship into question Mr. Strider," Ms. Ava informed the two.

"You can expect another visit later next month, good day Mr. Strider," Ms. Ava said, letting herself out of the apartment.

"We're screwed, we're screwed, we're so screwed," Dirk kept pacing in the kitchen, saying over and over again, "All this time we were worried about Noir, and we have another problem on our hands. How on earth are we going to pull this off? We can't just keep Dave in his room everytime she comes over and expect her to buy the same lie over and over. We've got to do something, think of something, and soon!"

"Don't freak out Dirk, we have a bit of time. We'll think of something," Jane tried to reassure both him and herself.

This was one problem they had not anticipated, at least not this early. They both knew they had to deal with the social worker sometime, they just didn't think they'd have to do it this soon.

'Come on Jane, ya gotta think of something.'

'Come on Strider, there's gotta be something that you are over looking."

'Hold on, what if...,' Jane began to think.

'Yeah! That's it!' Dirk stopped pacing.

In order to keep both Dave and their secret safe, both Dirk and Jane thought of the same idea, to escape both Noir and the Social Worker.

"We have to move."

* * *

Don't worry my darlings, I have a whole deck of cards up my sleeve:)

And congratulations to HomestuckVS on passing your class!:D


	14. Make The Move

HAPPY END OF THE WORLD EVERYONE!

You guys I am so so so sooooooo sorry that this chapter is late! Please, please forgive me! These past two weeks have been INSANE!

Anyway, I can never thank you all enough for your continuing support throughout this story! If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be here. You guys are so awesome and I love each and everyone of you more than y'all will know! From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you all sooooo much to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and subscribed to not only this and any of my other stories; but to me! I can never thank y'all enough for that! Love y'all!

And I AM keeping my promise of two updates this week!

* * *

Chapter 14: Make The Move

"Move?" Mr. Egbert asked surprisingly as he set is coffee mug down on the dinning room table, "Dirk, son, why on earth do you want to move?"

When Dirk Strider showed up at his door calling everyone in an emergency group meeting, Mr. Egbert was left scratching his head. And it was when Dirk revealed the reason for calling in such a meeting that left everyone in the room asking that same question.

"Yeah Mate; I mean, what the hell? What's going on? Why do you want to move all of a sudden?" Jake English asked his best friend sitting across the table from him.

When Dirk Strider called the emergency meeting to the Egbert's house, he really didn't give a definitive answer as to why. He just told them that they all had to talk about something, and that it was an emergency. Fearing that something was seriously wrong with Dave and/or the baby, they all immediately rushed over. When it was discovered that both Dave and the baby were fine, they began to ask what was going on. However, the response they got when they arrived just raised more questions than it answered.

Dirk could only sigh as he sat across the table from his nearest and dearest friends. He realized he didn't exactly tell them why he and Jane wanted to take Dave and move. And honestly, he really didn't want to tell them exactly why.

He didn't want them to know that because of his big, dumbass mouth, that he almost got his baby brother and soon- to-be niece or nephew killed. He didn't what them to know that because of him, every step that Dave took outside of the apartment could be his last. He didn't want them to know that because of him, Noir now knew of Dave's pregnancy. Because he knew exactly what they would do.

All he wanted to do was tell them that they needed to move somewhere for alittle while, just until the baby was born; maybe get some ideas as to where they could move, and HOPE that would be that.

Nope, that's not what ended up happening at all. Now, he had three people sitting across the table from him and Jane, demanding to know what was going on.

Dirk nervously looked over at Jane, giving her a 'What do I tell them?' look.

Jane only responded by looking over at him with a 'Tell the truth' look.

Dirk sighed once more. Realizing that, once again, Jane was right; and that he should just come out with it already.

"The," Dirk nervously began, "The reason why Jane and I feel it is best to move, is because..."

* * *

"WHAT?!" the three teens in John's room cried out in unison at what their friend just told them.

Unlike his bro down stairs, he didn't hesitate to tell them why his bro and Jane had decided to move them.

And needless to say, their outburst came to no surprise to Dave. Hell, it still shocked, and terrified, him to wrap his head around what all happened the day before.

Dave sat on the end of John's bed; slightly leaning back, with one arm propping himself up and the other wrapped protectively around him belly.

He sighed before replying to his friends, he just looked down at his slightly pretrubing belly and gave it a quick rub; recalling just how close he and his baby came to losing both of their lives.

"It's true," Dave finally spoke, "That night that we found out, he went to Noir and beat the crap out of him before he opened his big mouth. And yesterday, Noir came to see for himself."

"Are you okay?" Jade blurted out, "Noir, he didn't hurt the baby did he?"

"No, he didn't hurt the baby. I made sure of that," Dave said, "And aside from this," Dave said pointing to his bandaged cheek, "I'm okay."

"Are you okay, emotionally?" Rose rephrased Jade's question.

Dave really didn't know how to answer that.

Was he and the baby okay physically? Yes. Emotionally, well that was a whole other story.

Dave felt like a nervous wreck since his encounter with Noir yesterday. Everywhere he went, even inside the apartment, he was on his toes. In fear that Noir would find him again and that he was hiding in every corner, under every shadow, just waiting for the right moment to finish the job.

Last night, he woke up screaming in a cold sweat from a dream of what could, would have happened if Dirk and Jane didn't make it when they did.

To which Dirk came busting in his room with unshieved katana in hand at the sound of his baby brother screaming his head off. Once Dirk discovered that it was just a dream his brother was screaming over; he tucked him back into bed, and slept right beside him for the remainder of the night. To remind his baby bro that if Noir wanted to lay another hand on either of his babies, that he would have to go through him first.

Dave didn't have anymore bad dreams that night, cause he knew he had is bro there to protect him. Dirk was there to protect him from both the bad dreams and he was there when he needed him the absolute most.

Even though Dave handled himself better than most people would have been able to, he knew it was only his because of his bro and Jane that he and his baby were alive. And he dared not think about what would happen if they weren't around when Noir made his next move. Cause next time, he might not get so lucky.

"I, I don't know how to answer ya there Lalonde," Dave finally answered, "It all just happened so fast. It's still kind of hard to wrap my mind around it."

"I mean, one minute, I was just walking down the street, minding my own business. Just trying to prove to my bro that I can handle myself and that I didn't need him under me all the time," Dave continued, "And then the next, I'm up against a wall, staring up into eyes of the devil himself. I have never been more afraid in my life as I was in that moment. I tried to fight him; but if it weren't for Bro and Jane, I, we would be..."

"Dave listen to me," hearing his name brought Dave by t-total shock. Very, very rarely does he hear his first name be spoken by Rose. When she does, that was Rose's way of saying that he needs to shut up and listen whole heartedly to her.

"Don't think of all the 'what ifs', 'could haves' and 'would haves'," Rose continued, "Think about what did happen."

"Did you're bro and Jane get there in time? Yes. Did they protect you? Yes."

"But Rose, what if they weren'..."

Rose held up her index finger, signaling to let her finish.

"Did you fight off Noir the best you could? Did you protect your baby from him?"

"Of course! You know I did," Dave replied.

"When why are you fretting over all the 'what ifs' and 'could and would haves', when you know what DID end up happening? You did protect your child, Dave. You done everything you could to keep that maniac from harming your baby. And both your bro and Jane protected you. That is all that matters, what did happen. You and your baby are safe because of what did happen."

"You can't constantly ask yourself 'what if I had done, or didn't do that?'. Or 'how could, or would have gone differently?'. It will drive you insane. You can't dwell on the past; but what you can do is learn from it so you can stop it from happening again," Rose sincerely told her friend.

Dave thought long and hard over what Rose just said to him. And he knew she was right, every word she spoke hit him like a nail on the head. Ever since yesterday, his mind was plagued with countless scenarios on how both he and his baby could have died, and what he could have done differently. However, not one of the scenarios reflected back to what did end up happening. Did he protect himself, and more importantly his baby, with everything he had? Yes. Did Dirk and Jane show up in the nick of time? Yes. Did they beat Noir? For the time being, yes.

Dave knew that, for his own sanity, he couldn't be dwelling on all the 'what ifs' that could have happened yesterday. He had to focus on what DID happen; and more importantly, learn from his mistakes. So that, not if but when, Noir showed up next, that he would be ready.

"Thanks, Rose," Dave almost smiled.

"Any time Strider," Rose smirked a bit.

"And Strider," Rose said standing up from her seat at John's desk, "You done an amazing job protecting your baby. Only Dave Strider could have pulled something like that off," Rose said as she embraced her friend in a surprisingly warm, strong hug.

Rose's actions caught Dave by surprise, but after a moment, he slowed wrapped his arms around Rose's shoulders and returned the hug.

The two other raven haired teens in the room couldn't contain themselves and threw themselves at the pair as the four embraced in one big group hug.

Dave almost felt tears forming in his eyes as his friends embraced him in a big, warm, comforting hug. Almost.

"Alright, alright, knock it off you guys," Dave said, wiggling free after a few moments of being smothered by his three closest friends.

"So," Dave said after everyone composed themselves, "you guys wanna hear how I kicked Noir's ass?"

The three other teens gathered around him as if it were a good ole campfire story.

Dave smirked as he pushed his shades further up the bridge of his nose.

"Well, there I was, up against a rock and a hard place, staring into the eyes of demise. I saw my fate rise high above my eyes, and before I blinked, I..."

* * *

"I SWEAR TO GOD DIRK STRIDER!", a thoroughly enraged Jake English yelled at the man sitting across the table from him, furious at what his best friend just revealed to them, "I'M GOING TO RIP OFF YOU HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK IF YOU EVER DO SOMETHING SO STUPID LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!"

Needless to say, Dirk was shocked at his normally calm and collective best friend's outburst. In the nearly 20 years that they have known each other, Dirk had never seen Jake react like that to anything. Dirk could see Jake's emerald green eyes glowing with anger.

"Do you have any idea the danger you have put Dave and the baby in by opening that big mouth of your's?!" Jake continued, "My God, they could have been killed!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Dirk hollered back, with anger in his own voice. Anger directed at himself. He knew what he done was stupid, the single stupidest thing he's ever done in his life; and if he could go back and redo it, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But he couldn't, and now Dave had to pay for it.

"Dirk, son, what on earth were you thinking?" Mr. Egbert calmly spoke.

Dirk took a few heavy breaths before answering.

"I wasn't thinking, not of Dave at least," Dirk finally spoke, "The only thing I was thinking of was me wanting vengeance. I wasn't thinking about the consequences, or how they would effect Dave. If I could go back and change it, I would," Dirk said, wiping the forming tear from his eye, "Believe me, I never meant for any of this to happen. I hope you all can forgive me; God knows I'm never going to be able to forgive myself if anything happens to my little man, because of me."

Dirk placed his head in his hands and silently sulked in his seat. He let a few sobs escape his lips, before he was embraced by a pair warm, comforting arms from behind. He lifted his head from his hands to discover Jane's arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"It's okay Dirk," Jane quietly said to him, "It's okay, we forgive you. What's in the past, is in the past. The only thing we can do now is protect Dave and get him out of here."

"I agree with you Jane," Mr. Egbert spoke up, "What's in the past is in the past. What we need to focus on is keeping both David and the baby safe. And I think that we can all agree that so long as David is pregnant and Noir is still out on the street, that moving is the best option."

"Dirk, Jane, do y'all have any idea as to where you would move to?" Mr. Egbert asked.

"We were hoping you guys would have some ideas," Jane said, "We don't have a clue."

"Well, if you're going to move, it would be best to move as far away from here, and Noir, as possible," Jake spoke up, having his anger subsided.

"Let's see," Mr. Egbert said, sitting back in his chair, "You all could move to Washington. Before we moved here, that's where we used to live, near Seattle. It was a nice place. The people were very nice, open minded. Great hospitals, plenty of families looking to adopt. Dave could have the baby up there and move back, after everything was settled."

"Not far enough, you can drive from Texas to Washington in a little over a day. I want to get as far away from this area as we can possibly get," Dirk said.

"If you're looking to get far away, I can call my grandparents' in Australia and ask them if you guys could stay them for a while," Jake jokingly said, "But then again, after that little incident with the kangaroo when you went with us over there that one time, I don't think they'd want you back over there."

Dirk chuckled at infamous kangaroo incident back in '93 Jake was referring to. Stemmed back from yet again one of Dirk's less than brilliant moments. He had never seen two people so mad before in his life. Even though he and Jake thought it was funniest thing they have ever seen in their lives. Good times, good times.

"Thanks but, I'm pretty sure I'm the last person they ever want to see again," Dirk admitted.

"H-Hold on you guys," Roxy was finally sober enough to comprehend a single train of thought correctly after being in a drunken stupor for the majority of the entire conversation.

"What, what if you, move to Rainbow Falls in New York and stay in our house up there until the baby is born," Roxy stammered out.

"Rox, we couldn't..."

"Now hol' on Janey, let me finish," Roxy continued.

"We still have our house up there, we haven't used it in years. You guys wouldn't have to pay rent or anything. And let's say for a moment that for some reason, Dave couldn't find adoptive parent's for the baby. Now, New York has safe haven laws where you can drop off the baby at any hospital or fire station, no questions asked."

'Like we're gone let Dave give up that baby just like that,' both Dirk and Jane simultaneously thought as the same time.

"So, what do you say you guys?" Roxy asked.

Both Dirk and Jane looked at one another with the same thought in their mind, 'Should we do it?'

Would this be the perfect 'hide out'? Yes.

Would they under constant supervision from CPS? No.

Would they be free from Noir? Most likely.

There was still a chance that Noir would find them before the baby the was born. But the chances of that happening over there would be minuscule compared to over here.

Over there, they could actually walk out of the house and not worry about anyone watching them. They could breath more easily, relax. And most importantly, both Dave and baby would be safe. From both Noir and CPS.

Yep, they made their decision.

"Okay, we'll do it," both Dirk and Jane excited said.

* * *

"Okay, is that everything?" Jake asked Dirk as he finished loading the last of the boxes into the trunk and backseat of Dirk's car.

"Yeah, I think so," Dirk said looking over everything.

Three days had pasted and Dirk, Jane, and Dave were finally able to move. They had already got everything situated.

Jake would take care of the club.

Roxy had the power and everything turned back on inside the house.

And at Dave's appointment yesterday, they told the doctor their plan on 'relocating for the time being' as Jane put it.

To their surprise, the doctor had a friend who was an obstetrician that worked in the Rainbow Falls area. The doctor told them that they would give her a call and explain their situation and fax her all of Dave's papers. He gave them her card and told them to contact her as soon as they get settled in.

Dave sat in the cramped backseat of his brother's car, not-so secretly looking through the baby book he was constructing. After the baby was given a clean bill of health at their latest appointment, Dave could finally breathe easier, and bring himself to look through the pages he had already created. For two days after he ran into Noir, he couldn't bare the thought of looking through the book without knowing for sure if his baby was okay.

Dave let his fingers trail over the ultrasound picture from yesterday's appointment. The doctor reassured him that his baby was healthy and growing strong. He told him that his baby was about the size of his thumb.

Dave took a quick glance of his thumb and tried to picture his baby, how small it was. And yet, how big of a place in his heart that it already held. As much as he thought he was convinced before, the thought of actually giving up his baby made Dave want to puke.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't just give up the life he swore to protect and fought for with his very own just like that. He wouldn't.

And yet he had too, or so he thought.

He had two futures to think about. Both his and the baby's.

What kind of future would either of them have if he decided to keep it?

It would be hard and rough on both of them.

Dave didn't feel like, that after everything it's already been through, the baby deserved that.

He felt that the this baby, his baby deserved the best of everything. And he knew full well that he would not be able to provide that for it.

As much as it pained him to admit it, Dave knew what he must do.

Dave felt a tear drop roll down the bridge of his nose and fall onto the page below. He quickly wiped the tear stream away before anymore fell and ruined page.

Having it too painful to look at the moment, Dave closed the book and tucked it away with their other belongings in the car. But not before John decided to stick his head in the window.

"Whatcha doin' Dave?!" John said, sticking his head right next to Dave's, scarring the crap out of him.

"Jesus, John! You scared the shit out of me!" Dave said quickly shoving the book away.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Nothin'," Dave quietly said.

"So Dave, you gonna miss us?" Jade said, approaching the two, "Cause I'm sure gonna miss you."

"Eh, maybe just a little," Dave sarcastically said.

To which both Jade and John responded by pinching him.

"Ow!"

"You better miss us," Jade said teasingly.

"Don't worry, I'll miss you," Dave said, sticking his head out the window, giving Jade a peck on the cheek. Which Jade graciously returned, along with a few last rubs on the tummy before Dirk and Jane piled into the car.

"Okay, here are the keys to the house," Roxy said, handing the keys over to Jane.

"Roxy, there is no way we can ever thank you enough for this," Jane said giving her best friend a gracious hug.

"You can thank me by keeping those two boys in line and making sure that baby is safe," Roxy returned the hug.

"Will do Rox."

"Okay, tell me again why you guys are driving all the way up there, and not take a plane?" Jake asked Dirk.

"Because, I don't want to pay for all this shit to get shipped up there; and plus airport security is a bitch," Dirk told him.

"True true."

"Dave, son you call us whenever you all make it up there, okay?" Mr. Egbert said, "It doesn't matter what time it is, you let us know that you made it there safely."

"Will do, Dad," Dave said.

"Oh and Strider," Rose referred to Dave, "You touch any of my stuff and I will personally go up there and kick your ass."

"Oh don't worry," Dave retorted, "I'll be sure to write 'Dave Strider was here' with a permanent marker on everything I see."

But before Rose could act like she was fixing to punch Dave in the arm, Dirk started the car and began to drive off.

"BYE!" the three heard from the small group of people behind them.

Dave turned around and waved back at his friends.

'Well New York, ready or not, here we come.'

* * *

Here's the story I concocted about the Kangaroo.

In 1993, Dirk and Jake would have been 15. And for that 'holiday', Jake had convinced his parents to letting Dirk come with them to their grandparents' ranch in Australia. Yeah, you all can see where this is going. Anyway, while they were there, Dirk spots a kangaroo that has hopped onto their land; and he gets the bright idea to try and ride the poor creature. He took a rope, and tried to sneak up on it. He managed to jump on its back and tried to get the rope to act as reins, like on a horse. He was succefuly in his attempt for all of 3 seconds, before the kangaroo threw him off and hopped wildly across their yard and into the house through an open door. While Dirk and Jake couldn't breathe they were laughing so hard, Jake's parents and grandparents were less than amused.

And that's the story of the kangaroo.

Just thought I'd share that with you all.


	15. Fist Full of Firsts

Words cannot possibly express how sorry I am to you all! I will explain at the end of the chapter.

I would like to say thank you all so much for your support throughout this story! Your support means the world to me and I love you all so much!

From the bottom of my soul, thank you, thank you, thank you all so much!

Love you all, always.

* * *

Chapter 15: Fist Full of Firsts

"Oh thank God," a very weary Dave Strider said, taking his first steps into their temporary new home in Rainbow Falls, New York.

Dave was exhausted and his back felt like the backseat of his brother's car had used it as it's own personal punching bag. If the nearest couch in the room wasn't covered in a plastic tarp, Dave swore he would flop right down on it and take a long needed nap.

But, there was things to do, people to call, and a bunch of crap to unpack. That nap would have to wait.

The nearly day and half drive from Texas to New York was tiring, on all of them.

They left Houston at about 10 am and then stopped somewhere in Kentucky at 11 that night, at what Dave would describe as the crappest hotel his brother could find.

Dave didn't hardly catch an hour of sleep on that lumpy bail of hay that they called a bed.

Then bright and early in the morning, they got up and hit the road again. And thanks to the not-so little detour in Virginia, they ended up walking in the door of the Lalondes' at about 4 that evening.

Jane flipped on the lights as she and Dirk made their way into the large home with arm loads of suitcases in hand; causing Dave to turn and face the two.

"You mind helping us a bit, Little Man?" Dirk sounded out of breath, carrying two boxed and two suitcases in his arms.

"Sure thing Bro," Dave said, taking the two suitcases from his brother's arms.

"Just lay those, somewhere," Dirk said, setting the boxes on the floor, "we still have a bunch to get out."

* * *

"Please, tell me this is everything," Dave said, setting down what seemed to be the 100th and 101st box or suitcase he managed to heave in from the car.

"I think so Little Man," Dirk said, sitting down on the couch, not caring about the plastic tarp that clothed the furniture.

The other two in the room breathed a few sighs of relief and plopped right down on the couch next to the man.

The three looked at the tower of boxes and suitcases that was in the center of the room and the dread of unpacking all of them swept over them.

Roxy told them that everything in the house, except the furniture, was gone. So they didn't want to take any chances.

The three had somehow managed to cram nearly the entire apartment into those boxes and suitcases. Literally everything except furniture and the Strider brothers' larger equipment were in those boxes. However, due to the length of their stay, they really couldn't afford to leave anything behind. Granted if everything went well, they would be spending the next 6 months here. Why not make it feel home, as much as they could.

"Where do we even start unpacking all this?" Dave asked.

"Let's just get what we need out first and work on the rest whenever," Dirk answered.

"Well, it's not gone get done by itself," Jane said, standing up and stretching, "Come on Dirk, let's get to work."

Dirk patted Dave on the leg, telling him to get up and help them unpack some boxes, when Jane stopped them.

"Dave honey, you just lay down for a bit and take a breather. I don't want you to get too tired and pull something. Me and Dirk will take care of this," Jane said.

Not being able to argue with that logic, Dave just smirked and said, "Yes ma'am," as he stretched out on the couch.

Dave just smirked and laid back as his bro and Jane done all the heavy work; unpacking boxes and suitcases, and then putting things in their proper place.

"I think this will cut it for right now, Janey," Dirk said, frankly unpacking the last box he was going to unpack for the day. They basically set up the kitchen and bathrooms and put the suitcases in the bedrooms; and by the time they got done with that, his back was about to give.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Jane said, wiping her forehead.

Dirk sat back down on the couch next to his baby brother, who was fixing to fall asleep, still all sprawled out on the couch.

Dirk smirked and said, "Don't fall asleep, Little Man," Dirk gently shook him awake, "Remember, you've got to call the Egberts."

"Crap, I forgot," Dave yawned.

* * *

"Hello?" John answered his phone.

"Hey man, what's going on?" Dave replied.

"Hey Dave!" John happily said, "Did y'all make it?"

"Finally!" Dave said, not-so sarcastically.

"Rough trip?" John asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"You don't know the half of it," Dave started, "First off, we stop for the night at this shit hole motel somewhere in Kentucky, and I swear they used hay bails as mattresses in our room. And then, we had to take a 'little' detour in Virginia, which lead and took us through West Virginia. And we just now made it. So yes Egbert, we had a rough trip."

"Ouch," was the only thing John could reply.

"Yeah, I almost tripped getting out of the car because my backside had gone numb from sitting in one place so long," Dave told him.

"Wow."

"Yea, not fun."

"So how's Rose's place?" John asked, "Is it big?"

"Is it big?" Dave replied, "Dude, we could fit all our places in this crib and still have room."

"Dang," John said, "Is there still a bunch of stuff in it?"

"No, not much," Dave said, looking around, "Just furniture and that's 'bout it."

"I haven't checked out Rose's room yet. Heh, remind me to find a Sharpie later," Dave smirked.

"She'd kill you dead if you done that," John told him.

"Oh really? I didn't realize you could kill someone alive," Dave sarcastically answered.

"You know what I mean!" John replied.

"John, is that David?" Mr. Egbert said, walking into the room.

"Yeah, Dad, it's Dave."

"Let me talk to him real quick."

"K," John said, handing the phone over to his father.

"Hello David," Mr. Egbert happily said, "How are you? Did you all make it okay?"

"Yes sir, I'm okay," Dave started, "It was as rough trip but we made it okay."

"Oh goodness," Mr. Egbert said, "Where all did you have to go through?"

"Well we stopped in Kentucky for the night, and then we had to take a detour in Virginia that lead us through West Virginia. And we just now made it not too long ago."

"Goodness gracious, I can imagine how tired you must be."

"Yeah, I told John that I tripped getting out of the car cause my backside had gone numb," Dave told Mr. Egbert.

"You poor thing," Mr. Egbert sounded sympathetic, "Well, I'm glad you all made it over there safely."

"I am too, Dad," Dave said.

Mr. Egbert smiled, "Let me talk to your brother for a minute."

"K," Dave said, handing the phone to his bro.

"Dad wants to talk to you," he told Dirk.

"Hey Dad," Dirk said, "What's going on?" Dirk asked.

"Oh nothing much," Mr. Egbert, "Just checking up on you all."

"Well, we're all good," Dirk said, "Tired as hell, but good."

"I can imagine," Mr. Egbert said, "By the way, I have something to ask you."

"Shoot," Dirk simply said.

"Would you mind if we, as in me and John and the others, were to come and visit you all during the kids' Christmas break. I've talked it over with Jacob, Jade's grandfather and Ms. Lalonde and they seem to like the idea. But I told them I would check it up with you before we made any plans."

"But please, don't tell David," Mr. Egbert added, "I'd kinda like it if it were a surprise."

"Hell yeah Dad, that's a great idea!" Dirk excitedly said, "And don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"Wonderful Dirk!" Mr. Egbert happily said, "And thank you. It's been very eventful these past few months, I think we all can use a little break."

"You got that right," Dirk sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Okay well, you sound really tired and I can imagine you all still have a bunch to unpack; so I'm going to let you go. But before I go, please let me know what David's new doctor says."

"Okay Dad, I sure will," Dirk said, "I'm yet to set up an appointment, but if everything goes well, it should be sometime this week or next. Although, I'm leaning on next week."

"Okay, well the kids get out next week," Mr. Egbert stated, "I suppose you could tell us then."

"Yeah, that works out," Dirk said.

"Alright then, I'll see you all next week then," Mr. Egbert said, "And remember, not a word to David."

"My lips are sealed."

"Good," with that both me hung up.

* * *

Dirk then reached into his pocket and pulled out the card that Dave's doctor back in Houston gave them on their last visit.

It said 'Gloria Thomason PH.D Private Obstetrician Phone Number: 607-271-5269'.

"Well Ms. Gloria, I highly doubt anything you've studied is going to prepare you for this," Dirk said, dialing the number.

As it turns out, Ms. Gloria Thomason HAS studied this before. Along with Dave's doctor back in Houston, she's conducted countless hours of research on how it was possible for a man to become pregnant. Sure, their research was laughed at by others in their medical field; she didn't let that deter them. With all the physical abnormalities that was occurring in the birthrates around the world; she knew it was only a matter of time before her research became reality.

And when she received a call from her trusted colleague in Houston, TX, she was euphoric. All their research had finally been proven, in the form of a pregnant 16 year old boy. She wanted to scream it from the roof tops, she wanted to laughed back at all the faces that laughed at hers. But she couldn't, she wouldn't allow herself to.

When her colleague in Houston called and first told her, this boy, a David Strider, became her patient. Due to physician-patient privilege, she would, by law, be unable to rebuke her research; at least until after he was no longer her patient, and that was only if he gave her his consent to publish her findings in the first place. Which, honestly, she highly doubted he would.

Since this was a very 'touchy' and, downright unheard of, case, she knew the best way she could treat this boy was to be a discrete as humanly possibly. For if anyone, intentionally or not, caught wind of this, the case would become a media circus, and this boy's secret would be out. For all to see.

And if keeping something like that a secret meant for 'he' to become a 'she', than so be it.

* * *

"Danielle Strider," the nurse of Ms. Gloria's office called out into the small waiting room area.

Yes, in order to keep Dave's secret out from any suspicious eyes; Ms. Gloria, Dirk and Jane all agreed that it would be best if Dave became 'Danielle'. But just to go out in public.

Jane even went and got 'her' some clothes to dress for the occasion. And Dirk almost met his maker when he got Dave his first training bra. And since his hair had grown out just long enough, Jane convinced Dave to let her give him little pig tails to 'pull it off'.

However, needless to say, Dave still did not agree with their decision, at all.

Dave felt his eye twitch when he heard his 'name' being called and he almost punched his brother in the face when he jokingly told him, "Come on, Dani."

However, biting his tongue and holding back his fists, 'Danielle' emotionlessly got up and followed the nurse into the Ms. Gloria's office.

"Dr. Gloria will be right with you honey," the nurse told 'Danielle' .

After the nurse left, Dirk just couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Well what do you know Little Ma'am," Dirk started, sitting in one of the chairs in the room, "I think you pulled that off real nicely," Dirk laughed as he out his hands behind his head.

"Hey Bro, have you ever wondered what the inside of your ass tastes like?" Dave retorted, "Cause I'm fixing to shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll be able to taste your own shit at the end of your tongue!"

Dave's outburst just made the laughing fits coming from his brother get harder and louder.

"Dirk Strider," was all Jane had to say to get Dirk back in line.

That and 'the look'.

When Jane gave you that look and addressed you by your full name, you better be able to do one of two things. Either calm down very quickly, or run, fast and far.

Having felt the firery wrath of a thouroughly pissed of Jane Crocker before, Dirk instantly contained himself.

"Yes ma'am," Dirk said, clearing his throat.

After more than a few minutes of silence in the room, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting," Dr. Gloria entered the room.

Dr. Gloria turned to Dave and greeted him with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Hello, David," she happily chirped, extending her arm to shake Dave's hand, "It's so great to finally meet you!"

"You're doctor back in Texas told me your 'situation', and I want to let you know that him and I have studied and researched your, for lack of a better term, predicament for years. And we will take the absolute best care of you and your baby," Dr. Gloria told Dave.

"That's really good to hear Dr. Gloria," Dave told the doctor, looking down at his belly.

"And I assure you, we will do it as discretely as possible," Dr. Gloria told the three, "And, when the times comes, with the right equipment and if everything goes well, we can see if a home birth is applicable."

"That's good," Dave said, "But how would we go about doing that? Wouldn't I have to have a C-Section? How would I, you know, not bleed to death?" Dave honestly asked, alittle afraid of the thought of have home delivery via C-Section.

"If what we believe is true, you may not need to have a C-Section," the doctor told them.

"Say wha?" Dave asked, not really believing, or understanding the doctor what the doctor just told him.

"Let me explain," Dr. Gloria continued, "Your doctor in Texas and I have studied on your condition for years, decades even. We have found that if a man becomes pregnant than they have a uterus and, in theory, that they must also have a vagina."

"Excuse me?" was Dave's shocked expression.

"Let me continue," Dr. Gloria said, "When your uterus and ovary was formed, so was a vagina. However, when your Y chromosome finally kicked in, it stopped the formation of those female sex organs and the vagina seemingly closed. It is sealed over by the skin between your scrotum and anus, but however, it didn't close all the way. It is still there, just shut really tight. Think of it as pinching a straw."

"Now, when your uterus begins to expand, the vagina will start to open up. And when that happens, you will start experiencing cramps, possible serve ones. Which I will go ahead and give you medication for," Dr. Gloria continued, "When you go to give birth, if I believe correctly, that skin will have to be cut. It won't open up by itself."

Not one person in the room believed what they just heard.

Jane sat there with her hand over her mouth and Dirk nearly fell out of his chair. If Dave wasn't leaning his back against the wall, he was sure he would be on the floor.

"Now, I know all this sounds shocking and unreal; but it only makes sense," Dr. Gloria told them.

"Wait wait," Dave started, "So basically, you don't really know for sure if what y'all think is true?"

"Well no," Dr. Gloria answered honestly, "We only speculate it because it would only make sense. You're the first pregnant male that we have ever encountered in person before, so we don't know for sure."

"If, if you want David, we could check," Dr. Gloria said.

"NO!" Dave bursted out, "Absolutely no way in fiery depths of hell!"

"Alright," Dr. Gloria said, "Just keep in mind that your uncooperation now will make your treatment that much more difficult down the road when you go to give birth. If we knew for sure that you do have, that, than we can do a home delivery and your secret will be kept safe."

'Damn,' Dave thought.

Dr. Gloria really had him by the balls.

If he didn't let her check and he had to the hospital to have the baby, his secret will be blown. But, if he let her check, and he did have, it, than he could have the baby in the privacy of their temporary home.

The thing is, Dave didn't want this woman, who he just met, looking, and especially touching his junk.

But, in the long run, Dave realized he would much rather face maybe a minute of the most embarrassing thing he's ever had to go through, besides how he ended up here. Than live a nightmare had anyone else found about his little secret in a delivery room.

"Alright fine," Dave gave in, "Get it over with."

"Welp," Dr. Gloria said, lifting her head up from 'examining' Dave, "You've got it."

"Great," Dave said face palming himself.

That was the most awkward thing he's ever done in his life, by far. But at least it only lasted at most 45 seconds. Still, Dave thanked God it was over.

"You're due date is June 21, right?" Dr. Gloria asked Dave.

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay, just making sure so we can get every scheduled and situated, so when your due date arrives we'll have everything ready," Dr. Gloria said.

Dave then situated himself as Dr. Gloria set up the ultrasound equipment.

"So David, have you thought up any names yet?" Dr. Gloria asked as she finished setting everything up.

"No, not really," Dave lied, "I want to let the parents pick out the name."

"Thinking of adoption?"

"Yeah," Dave quietly said.

Both Dirk and Jane knew Dave was lying. The piece of paper they found on the table with a bunch of baby names scribbled on it was evidence of that.

They knew that Dave wanted to keep this baby as badly as they wanted him to. They knew that he knew that he just didn't want to admit that yet.

And so far, the winner on Dave's list of baby names were Dean if it was a boy and Cynthia if it was a girl. After their dearly departed mother.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to find a good and loving family for it. There are plenty around here looking for babies to adopt," Dr. Gloria said, squirting the gel on Dave's stomach, trying to be supportive of Dave's decision.

'It already does,' were Dirk, Jane, and Dave simultaneous thoughts.

* * *

"Alrighty," Dr. Gloria said, turning the screen to face the three, "there's your baby."

The three stared at the screen in wide eyed adoration.

"It's gotten bigger, since last time," Dave said, almost half way smiling.

"And pretty soon, you should start feeling it kick," Dr. Gloria smiled at Dave.

Dave unwillingly felt himself smile back.

"Can you tell what it is yet?" Dirk asked.

"Not really," Dr. Gloria said, "I can kind of see that everything looks like it is developing like it should. But we won't be able to tell what it is 100% until the fourth month."

Dave let out a sigh of disappointment. He has been anxious for weeks to see what his little bundle of joy is. Looks like he's just have to be patient.

After the ultrasound was over, Dr. Gloria printed out the new ultrasound pictures and gave them to the three.

"Okay David, your next appointment will be scheduled for about three weeks from now. I'll call you when I schedule specific date," Dr. Gloria said as Dave became Danielle again.

"Okay, that sounds great," Jane told the doctor, as neither Dave nor Dirk paid her any mind, "Thank you so much."

"My pleasure my dear," Dr. Gloria smiled, "Take care of David."

"I will," Jane said.

"Come on Dani," Dirk said opening the door for his little 'sister'.

"I swear to God, Bro. You are so dead when we get home," Dave said as he and Dirk walked out the room.

Jane and Dr. Gloria both giggled at the siblings as they left the room.

"Have a good day Ms. Croc.."

"Wait, I have something to ask you," Jane spoke up.

"Okay, shoot," Dr. Gloria said.

"You said that you seen that everything was developing as it should, on the baby. But that you wouldn't be able to make 100% certain what it was until about the fourth month," Jane said, "If you had to guess, what do you think the baby is?"

Dr. Gloria just smiled and whispered in Jane's ear, causing an ear to ear smile make itself at home on Jane's face.

* * *

I have some explaining to do.

The reason why this chapter is terribly late, is because I'm feeling burnt out.

I've been growing weary of this story, my heart has been yearning to go on to other things. To expand my horizon so to speak. I've been feeling it for a while.

I've found that I have been pushing myself to cram as much stuff as I can into these chapters to get done with this story as soon as I can. So I can move on. But, by doing so, the flame I had for this story is dying. And I found myself more and more reluctant to work on this chapter. I explained to one of my friends that it's like trying to run with a candle.

I'm sitting here, trying to get to the finish as soon as possible, while still trying to keep that flame lit. I can't do it. If I am going to keep the flame for this story alive, I can't run to the finish as fast as I can. I have to sit down and fan those flames back to shining glory that it was. If I don't, than that flame and this story will die.

So for the time being, I have decided stop working on Unforeseen Consequences.

I need to rekindle the flame before it goes out.

How long will that take? I don't know.

Maybe it will help if I do work on some other stories, just to get that spark back.

I am so, so terrible sorry to you all. And I hope you all can forgive me.

Until further notice for Unforeseen Consequences, this is Autumn Artist signing out.


	16. Surprises

I'm back, baby!

I missed you all soooooo much and I'm so, soooo sorry I had to put this story on hold for a while. I promised you all I would finish this story, and I have no intention of breaking that promise.

I'll be trying to work back on a regular schedule to get at least one chapter out a week. (This past semester really through me off my writing wagon.) I promise to make it up to you all!

So here's the extra long and long awaited chapter 16:)

I hope you all enjoy it:)

* * *

Chapter 16: Surprises

Ever since Dave's appointment with Dr. Gloria, Jane's had a glowing euphoria that had become very evident to the two Strider siblings the moment they got out of the doctor's office.

All the way home that day, she had a constant smile on her face and was even humming a festive tune. Both Dave and Dirk shot her a glance as if she just found the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

"What's up with you?" Dirk couldn't help but ask as they drove up the drive way of their temporary home.

'Oh should I tell him?' Jane's mind squealed like an ecstatic fangirl, 'Oh I have too! I just can't keep this to myself. No, no I should wait. I'll wait until everyone gets here. Everyone should hear this!'

"Oh it's nothing," Jane told a little white lie, "Just pleasant thoughts, that's all."

"Alright," Dirk suspiciously said, pushing his shades up the bridge of this nose.

Dirk instantly knew she was lying. And Jane knew that he knew that she was lying. Since his teens, very few things got from under the nose of Dirk Strider, and lying was one of the first things he taught himself on how to instantly catch up on. Infact, in their high school days Jake had told him time and again that if that DJing thing didn't work out that he could would make a nice interrogator.

Dirk always did wonder in the back of his mind if he would make a good interrogator. If Jane planned on keeping her little secret a secret for too long, Dirk would soon find out.

Jane just hoped the others would get there soon before she would crack under Dirk's interrogation 'tactic'.

* * *

Several days later and so far so good, Jane had managed to keep the reason behind her glowing euphoria a secret from the two siblings.

Dave just thought she was just being plain ole Jane, just being cheerful about the holidays. Dirk however was growing more suspicious by the day.

And his curiosity was getting the best of him. But Jane done her best to keep her guard up, and somehow managed to evade Dirk's prying.

Thankfully for Jane, Mr. Egbert called them yesterday morning and told them that they would soon be on their way.

However, with the gang on the way, Jane let her guard slip.

"Whatcha got there, Janey?" Dirk asked as he poked his head above her shoulder, curious as to what she doing at the table.

"Oh honey, you scared me," Jane immediately shot her head up in surprise and quickly covered up her drawings of dresses and cute baby names, "It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing," Dirk said, trying to reach of the papers on the table.

Before he could get his hands on the papers, Jane quickly gathered up the papers on the table and got up from the table.

"I told you Dirk, it's nothing," Jane said as she tried to walk away from the table.

"If it's nothing then why are you hiding it," Dirk said, still trying to reach for the papers in her arms.

Jane quickly lifted the papers high above her head, evading Dirk's reach.

Right then, Dirk saw his first 'tactic'. For as long as he's known Jane, he's known that Jane is extremely ticklish.

While Jane had her arms in the air, trying to keep Dirk from seeing her secret prematurely, launched his attack.

Dirk grabbed Jane around the waist and threw her over his shoulder, dragging her down the hallway and into the laundry room to keep her from escaping.

"Dirk! What are you doing? Cut it out!" Jane cried as she tried to escape Dirk's grasp.

"Sorry Janey, you left me no choice," Dirk said as he quickly shut and locked the door behind them and plopped Jane back on her feet, "Now tell me whatchu been hiding lately, or feel the wrath Mr. Fingers."

"No Dirk, you'll have to wait until the other's get here!" Jane stubbornly protested, trying to talk some sense into the man.

"Ahhh, so there is something you've been hiding," Dirk said, moving in closer.

'Crap,' Jane thought as she realized what she just said.

"Alright, have it your way," Dirk said before he lunged his attack.

"Nonononono Dirk, please n-AHAHAHAHA," before Jane could even complete her plea, Dirk had her on the floor in an all out tickle fight.

"AHAHAHA DIRK, DIRK PLEASE STOP," Jane managed to say in her panic induced hits of laughter, "HAHAHA I'M, HAHA I'M GONNA PEEEE!"

"Tell me your secret and I'll let you go," Dirk said as he continued to tickle the squirming Jane Crocker on the floor of the laundry room floor.

Jane had stood all she could at that point, she felt like she was just one more poke away before she would be rolling in a puddle of her own bodily fluids.

"HAHAHAHA OKAY, OKAY, I GIVE! I'LL TELL YOU," Jane finally admitted.

Dirk immediately stopped his tickle crusade at once he heard Jane's plea.

"Okay," Jane panted after a few moments of regaining her breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, "I didn't want to tell you until everyone else got here, but the reason why I've been so bubbly is because..."

In the distance, the two heard a ding dong, followed very quickly by,

"Bro, Jane, someone get the door; I'm almost done with my final and I'd like to get done with this shit sometime before Christmas you know!" the two on the floor in the laundry room heard from elsewhere on the house.

Jane breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the doorbell and for once she was glad Dave had such a big mouth.

"Saved by the bell," Dirk lightly chuckled as he got up off the floor and offered Jane his hand.

"I can get up by myself thank you," Jane said sitting up, stubbornly declining his offer, "I need to gather up these papers that YOU made me spew all over the floor."

"Sorry," Dirk smirked as he turned to leave the room.

"No you're not," She retorted.

Before he could leave the room, Jane lifted up her leg and gave him a swift kick in the butt.

Dirk's only response to her action was a chuckle that could be heard from down the hallway.

As Jane composed herself, she quickly gathered up all the papers that were all over the floor due to Dirk's tickle attack.

They weren't anything in particular interest, but the one paper that Jane tried to guard with all her might, had on it the wishful thinking of feminine names and detailed designs of two elegant gowns fit for a wedding. One fit for a full grown woman, and the other for a small child.

Jane stacked the rest of the papers of a shelf in the laundry room, but clenched the one paper close to her heart and then quickly folded it up and put it on her breast pocket.

"Saved by the bell indeed," Jane quietly said as she wondered into the rather loud commotion that was now emitting from the elsewhere in the home.

* * *

"Merry Christmas Dirk," Mr. Egbert greeted in his usual friendly tone of voice as he placed his suitcase next to the door, "Great to see you, how's everyone doing?"

"Hey Dad, everyone's doing great," Dirk happily returned the greeting, "Y'all make it up here okay?"

"We made it up here fine, son," Mr. Egbert replied, "Say, where do we lay these?"

"Just anyway," Dirk said, "Y'all can just lay your stuff anywhere and park it."

"Gladly," Jake said, putting his stuff by the couch before he plopped himself onto the furniture.

"Ehh, get your feet off the table English," Roxy said as she and Rose walked into the house, reprimanding Jake as he was about to prop his feet on the coffee table.

"Wow Rose, your place is huge!" Jade went on as she looking around they enormous room.

"Yeah, I thought Dave was kidding when he said they could fit all of our places in here," John added, looking amazed at the comparisons between all their homes.

"Thanks," Rose smirked, "It's been in our family for generations. My great-great grandfather was the governor of New York and representative for the state back in the day. And I think he also may have invested heavily in the railroads. He built this house to be his Summer getaway."

"Wow, that's awesome Rose," Jade happily said, "You're so lucky."

"I don't know about that," Rose said, "Hey, let's go see where the dork is."

As the trio of friends started down the hallway, the bumped into a familiar face.

"Hey y'all," Jane happily said as she met the three down the hallway from the living room.

"Did y'all make it over here okay?" Jane asked as she gave each one of them a hug.

"Yes ma'am, we did," Jade replied, returning the hug, "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Dave is would you?"

"I believe he's in his room down the hall there," Jane said pointing down the hallway toward her right, "But I think he's taking his final, so I'd give it a few before I'd disturb him," Jane replied.

"Okay, I can show them where they can stay while we wait on him," Rose stated.

"Alrighty, that'll be great," Jane said happily, "Y'all can go ramble, and I'm gonna go ring Dirk's neck and do some catching up."

"Sounds good," the three giggled as they continued on their way, already having a few ideas as to what Dirk had done this time.

"Dave has taken up residents in my old room," Rose told her two companions once they got down the hallway, "If he messed with anything, he's a dead man."

* * *

"Oh thank God," Dave breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he saw his final grade after he submitted his final exam. A cool 92.

"Sweet, now I gotta deal with this crap again until the end of January," Dave said as he spun around in his chair, away from the computer.

Dave slowly got up from his chair and gave himself a well needed stretch after being in the same slouched position for nearly an hour.

He was just about to head down stairs to see what all the commotion was, when his bedroom door was yanked open.

"¡Feliz Navidad David Strider!" yelled Johnathan Ebgert as he made his way through his best friend's temporary bedroom door, causing the being on the other side to nearly jump a foot in the air.

"What the hell!" Dave yelled as he jumped back at the sudden intrusion.

After having a mini heart attack, Dave turned to face his intruder(s), expecting to find a masked gun holiday gunman at his door; he instead was greeted with the site of his three nearest and dearest friends at the doorway, laughing like mentally challenged hyenas.

Dave would have been pleasantly surprised, had he not been ready to kill all three of them.

"Christ you guys!" he cried at the bunch, "Don't scare me like that! Are you trying to make me miscarry?!"

"Chill out Strider, a jump scare won't cause you to miscarry," Rose said as she composed herself.

"You ain't the one that almost had a heart attack over here," Dave said as he calmed down.

"I didn't mean to scare ya man," John said as he wiped his eyes, "But you should have seen the look on your face!"

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up Egbert," Dave as he threw his arm around John's neck and proceeded to give him a noogie, "Now what the heck are y'all doing over here?"

"We-," John said as he escaped from his best friend's clutches, "We thought we'd surprise you and we all drove up here to spend Christmas break with you guys."

"Heh, at least it won't be so boring around here for while," Dave smirked.

"Ah come on Dave, at least act like you missed us," Jade said as she gave Dave a hug and his belly more than few rubs, "I sure missed you."

Dave couldn't help it, he just had to return the hug.

"Fine," Dave pretend pouted, "I missed you guys too."

"So Dave, how's the baby coming along?" Jade asked as they settled down in the room.

"It's growing healthy from what Dr. Gloria said," Dave said placing a hand over his belly, "At my last appointment in Houston, the doctor said it was about the size of my thumb, on the ultrasound last week it looked about like the size of a baseball"

"So you're going into your 14th week?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Dave said, "Dr. Gloria said I should be able to feel it kicking soon."

"AWWWW," Jade immediately cooed over Dave's growing belly.

The few circles Jade was making on Dave's belly became a vigorous rubbing as if Jade was expecting a genie to come out of his belly button.

"Easy Jasmine, it's not a magic lamp," Dave said as he removed her obsessive hand from his belly.

"I know, it's just so cute and sweet!" Jade said excitedly, "I wanna feel it kick so bad!"

"Well maybe if you're nice, it'll kick for you sometime while y'all are here," Dave lightly retorted.

Really, he too couldn't wait for it to start kicking too. He wanted to feel the little ball of life squirming around in his belly. Just so he would know that his baby was okay and constantly growing and moving inside him.

"Your baby bump has gotten bigger since last time," Rose stated, "Pretty soon you won't be able to fit in those skinny jeans of your's anymore."

"Geez Lalonde, don't remind me," Dave retorted, "I'm already having to wear sweatpants and Bro's t-shirts whenever I go out."

"By the way, how'd you pull off going to a OBGYN like that," John asked.

"Ummm," Dave blushed, "We had to take Rose's advice..."

'3...2..'

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," erupted the room in laughter.

Dave could only bite his lip as his three 'friends' nearly peed themselves laughing at what he had to do to go undetected at what would be considered a purely 'female's' doctor's office.

"You guys are asses you know that," Dave retorted as the three regained their breath.

"See Dave, I told you my advice always works," Rose said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"At least I made a hotter chick than you!" Dave snapped back.

"Oh so did you now?" Rose shot back, "We'll just have to see about that now won't we."

Rose shot Jade a wink, Jade instantly caught onto her idea.

"Oh hell," Dave said as he knew what the two girls were thinking.

"Okay John, you be the judge here," Jade said, "Which one makes the hotter chick?"

Jade stepped aside to unveil her two 'dressed up' friends.

Rose was wearing a black lacy long sleeved tope with an ivory under shirt and an off white long straight skirt. Her hair was professionally brushed neat and tidy with a black and purple lace headband. She wore black cross earrings and matching necklace.

Dave, or more appropriately 'Danielle', courtesy of Jade, wore a red and white long sleeved top and a long ruffly white skirt. Jade fixed his hair into two cute pigtails for ironic purposes was sporting a Hello Kitty burette to get his bangs out of his eyes.

"Uhhh," John scratched his chin nervously, "I don't know."

"Ahhh c'mon man! Bros before hoes!" Dave said, earning him a swift swat on the back of head from both Rose and Jade.

"Well John, what's it gonna be?" both Rose and Dave asked the poor soul inquisitively.

"I-I don' know, okay?" John blushed as he nervously scratched the back of his head, "You-you both look, very nice," no matter how hard he tried, John just couldn't hide the shade of red his face was turning.

Rose sighed, "Well in my opinion, this isn't exactly are fair fight. I mean here I come prepared and poor 'Dani' here," Rose smirked as she shot Dave a smirk, "Has to borrow. It's like trying to fight someone who has a gun when all you have is a knife."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" was the not so secret question that both Jade and Rose asked to each other by just a simple glance.

* * *

"Hey Maaaa?" Rose asked Roxy as she stepped into the breakfast nook where the adults were discussing, "Since Dave doesn't have any proper clothes for the upcoming months, we're going to the mall to see what we can find, okay? We'll be back after while."

"M'kay Rosey," Roxy said, lifting her head up from the table, "You be clarful n be bak befor din-din."

"Got it," Rose said down the hallway as she, Jade and John shuffled Dave, or 'Danielle' for the time being, out the front door so he wouldn't be hustled by the adults in the adjoining room.

"You think it's okay to let them take Dave out without us?" Jane asked with genuine concern; realizing that this was the first time Dave had been out without either her or Dirk since the run in with Noir.

"He'll be fine Janey," Roxy said, "They won' let an'thing happen."

"Well, if you say so," Jane took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"So Jane, now that everyone's here are you going to spill your little secret or are they going to have to witness round 2 of interrogation?" Dirk blurted out, catching everyone's attention.

"What?" the other three adults around the table simultaneously asked.

"No mister jackass, you won't have to do anymore interrogating," Jane said, putting her mug down on the table, "Y'all I have some very exciting news and as I was trying to explain to Dirk," Jane elbowed Dirk in the side, "I wanted to share it with you all when y'all finally got here."

"At Dave's visit with Dr. Gloria, after you and Dave had already left the room, I asked Dr. Gloria what she thought the baby was," Jane started getting excited, "She said she won't be fully able to tell what the baby was until about the end of the 14th week, but she thinks it's going to be a girl."

"AWWWW," the three adults across from them couldn't help but screech when they finally heard Jane's forbidden secret.

However, with all the fight he put in to try to and pry her secret out of her, Jane was surprised to hear Dirk remain silent.

"Dirk, hun are you okay?" Jane shook his hand, "This is great news, I'd thought you'd be ecstatic."

Dirk was ecstatic; he had hoped, even prayed that the baby would be a girl. He was just trying to bottle his emotions up to the point where the cap on that bottle was about to blow.

"Y-yes, Janey, I am every excited," Dirk squeezed Jane's hand as he let a few tears drop onto his hand, "I was just thinking of how excited Mama would be if she were here to hear the news."

"She'd be jumping up and down," Jane said as she used her spare hand to wipe away a tear that was trying to escape down her face, imagining Cynthia's reaction to hearing the news of her first granddaughter.

"My little man's gonna have a little girl," Dirk choked, his mind being flooded with happy images of Cynthia holding her for hours on end, constantly cooing her, playing with her.

"There's no way we're letting him give that baby up," Dirk said as he composed himself once more.

"Is Dave still hellbent on giving the baby up?" Jake asked.

"He says he is, but everything you ask him about it, he always avoids answering," Dirk replied, "I wish there was someway we can convince him on his own to keep the baby."

"Dirk, son," Mr. Egbert spoke up, "Have you and Jane tried sitting him down and talking to him and personally telling him that it is alright if he decides to keep the baby."

"We've actually talked about that, Dirk and I have have," Jane said.

"But Dave isn't exactly the 'sit down and let's talk about this' type," Dirk added, "No matter how hard you try to tell him something, he won't listen to word you say. He has find out for himself, from within himself"

"Well mabe you two aren't usin' the righ' approach to this," Roxy said, "Mabe you two nee' ta start droppin' a few sublimital messages every now and then and eventually he'll ge' the drift."

"I think Dave's main concern is how he can continue school while raising the baby," Jane said.

"Well isn't the homeschooling thing going well?" Mr. Egbert asked, "Couldn't he continue with it until he graduates?"

"Is he wanting to go to college anywhere?" Jake asked.

"He's been wanting to go to this art school in New York," Dirk said, "But, the main thing is, right now, they don't offer an online option."

"Well, he's still a sophomore, they might start an online program sometime between now and then. And if they don't, there are plenty of other art school around the country that have online programs," Mr. Egbert added, "Maybe you two could get him to look up other schools besides just that one."

"Or you coul' do it for 'im," Roxy said, "You coul' look up a bunch of schols n get 'em ta send 'im emails."

"That's a good idea Rox," Jane said.

"See there, Janey, I stil got it," Roxy said right as she chugged back her third egg nog.

Jane smiled in agreeance with her drunken friend, when a glance at Dirk from the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"What's the matter hun, you look conflicted?" Jane asked as she rubbed his hand.

"Nah, not conflicted," Dirk said taking a sip of his spiked hot chocolate, "Just thinking."

"Anything in particular you'd like to share with the class?" Jane asked

"Yes actually," Dirk replied, "I think we should the baby something for Christmas."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Jane said replied, already having a few ideas up her sleeve.

* * *

"How's it coming in there Dav-I mean Dani?" Jade asked Dave on the other side of the dressing room door.

"Explain to be why I have to try on dresses? It's colder than a witch's tit outside and I won't be able to wear them until like April anyway," Dave replied, annoyed that his so called friends not only drug him out into a crowded mall two days before Christmas dressed as a girl, but also make him try on at least half a dozen dresses.

"Because, dresses are a whole lot more comfortable and warmer when you wear leggings with them," Jade reminded him, "Plus it'll be easier to pull this whole thing off."

"I'm not even that big to even wear some of these," Dave replied.

"You're going to grow into them," Jade also reminded him.

"Fine," Dave pouted.

"Let's see how you look," Jade said.

Jade could hear Dave sigh as he opened the door to reveal 'herself' in a knee length, red and white striped dress.

"I feel ridiculous and my legs are freezing," Dave crossed his arms, pouting.

"Well I think you look great," Jade gave him a reassuring smile, "A pair of brown leggings will go great with that."

"Looking sharp Strider," Rose said as she and John approached the pair with a arm loads of more clothes.

"Oh God, don't tell me you won't be to try on all those," Dave said with sheer dread in his voice.

"No, since you're lack of cooperation, John and I decided to take the liberty of just going ahead and picking things out for you," Rose replied, "This should be enough to suffice you for a long while."

"Good," Dave replied, "I sure don't wanna have to this again."

As Dave slipped back into the dressing room to change back, Jade felt her phone off.

'Jade, this is Jane. How's everything going?' read the text message.

'Hi Jane, everything's going good. We picked out a bunch of clothes for him to wear in the upcoming months.' Jade replied.

'That's great. Could I get you to do us a BIG favor?'

'Sure. What is it?'

'Please don't tell Dave, but could you pick up a little something for the baby. Preferably yellow? We'll pay you back.'

"Hey guys," Jade told the two other awaiting teens, "I have to go check out something, I'll be back in a few."

"Okay, we'll be at the front of mall when you get done," Rose said.

As Jade walked down the hall of the mall and into a baby store, she texted Jane back, 'I'd be honored too:) And don't worry about paying me back;)'

Once Jade made it into the store, she made a B-line for the newborn section, already having an idea as to what to get the baby.

"'Bout time," Dave said as he saw Jade approaching them at front of mall.

"Sorry it took so long," Jade said, " There was a line. So what all did you get?"

"We got three dresses, four long skirts, some shirts, two pairs of sweat pants, and much Strider's dismay, a couple pairs exercise bras," Rose said.

"You ought to be set then," Jade referred to Dave.

"I damn well better be," Dave sarcastically replied, "Can we go now, my feet are killing me."

"What did you have to go check out?" Rose quietly asked Jade as they walked out of mall.

Jade noted opened up her purse and shown Rose the bag from the baby store as she whispered in Rose's ear, "Don't tell Dave."

Rose nodded to Jade as the four got into the Lalonde's car, swearing her secretcy.

* * *

"There, doesn't it look adorable?" Jade smiled as she finished wrapping the baby's secret gift. It was wrapped in pale yellow wrapping paper with a silver ribbon tided around it.

"That was real nice of Jade to do that for us," Dirk said, wrapping his arms around Jane's waist, "We wouldn't have been able to make it over there in time."

"I'm still paying her back," Jane said, putting the gift in a safe, secret place for the time being until tonight when it can be placed under the tree.

"What was it anyway?" Dirk asked, realizing he didn't even get to see it before Jane whisked it off to wrap it when the four came home from the mall.

"You'll see," Jane said, "All I'm saying is that it's something Cynthia would have gotten for the baby."

"Well all that leaves out is the moon," Dirk said, resting his chin on Jane's head, "She'd gotten everything in the entire world for her first grandbaby."

Jane gripped ahold of Dirk's hand that was on her shoulder, "She's still here with us. Even in death, she'll never leave her sons, or her granddaughter."

"Mama's tear Little Man a new one for even thinking about giving up that baby," Dirk chuckled, "Maybe this gift, whatever it is, will help convince him."

"I'm sure it will," Jane said, kissing the back of Dirk's hand.

* * *

The grandfather clock in the Lalonde's living room was the signal that let the residents still awake know that it was 12:00 A.M. Christmas morning.

Dirk and Jane thanked God that Dave and other's decided turn in at the relatively early time, for them, of 11 p.m. And with the rest of their company already asleep, Jane and Dirk decided now was a fine time to play Santa Claus.

Jane knelt down and put the present under the tree, right infront of all the other presents.

"Don't you miss playing Santa Dirk?" Jane asked as she got up.

"It was funner when milk and cookies were involved," Dirk said as he plopped down on the couch to finish watching the end of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

"Well if this works, you'll have that to look forward to next year as well," Jane smiled as she joined him on the couch.

It didn't take too long before the pair fell asleep, hand in hand as they waited for all the excitement that morning would surely bring.

Underneath the tree, the secret present consisting a yellow footed onesy with little ducks on it, with matching little hat and soft, fuzzy blanket, sat waited to be opened. On the tag, it read; 'Merry 1st Christmas, from: Aunt Jane, Uncle Dirk and Grandmama Cynthia'.


End file.
